A mechanical fault has been blamed for a lorry fire on the M5 motorway which caused queues of up to five miles between Burnham-On-Sea and Weston this week.
All three lanes of the M5 northbound were temporarily shut on Thursday, causing long delays for motorists.
A trailer – containing pallets of sheet metal – burst into flames after the wheels locked and set alight.
“The driver quickly decoupled the trailer from the front cab, as the fire quickly spread to the trailer and set the pallets inside alight,” a fire spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
Fire appliances from Burnham-On-Sea, Bridgwater and Weston were sent to the scene soon after 2pm, as pictured here.
“Crews tackled the fire with hose reel jets and compressed air foam whilst wearing breathing apparatus.”
The driver of the lorry was not hurt in the incident. It took several hours for the traffic queues to subside.
Pictured: The blazing lorry on the M5 between Burnham and Weston on Thursday afternoon (photos Lester Solway)
