Shrewsbury lorry fire causes traffic snarl-up

Motorists faced hours of severe tailbacks on Shropshire's road network today after a lorry carrying a cargo of hay caught fire at a roundabout.

Traffic was snarled up in both Shrewsbury and Telford as a westbound section of the A5 and an entrance off the M54 were closed following the fire, which engulfed the HGV and its trailer.

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The male lorry driver was unhurt in the incident, which happened just before 5am at Emstrey island in Shrewsbury.

Firefighters were still battling the blaze well into the morning with the road still closed this afternoon. Motorists suffered miles of tailbacks due to the fire.

Chris Ammonds, spokesman for Telford police, said: "We have experienced quite a lot of increased traffic around Telford and we closed off the entrance to the M54 to stop people joining the queue and adding to the problem.

"There have been a number of calls from the public who have said it is causing them a problem getting around but unfortunately there is very little we can do.

"People deserve credit for adhering to the temporary measures but it has certainly had an impact around Telford."

Maria Wilkinson, spokeswoman for West Mercia Police, today said the road had been closed westbound between Emstrey and Preston islands, which was causing "heavy congestion" in both directions and on surrounding roads into Shrewsbury, such as Sundorne Road.

She said police officers were directing traffic and the council's highways department was working to put diversions in place.

Firefighters, equipped with breathing gear, used four hose reel jets and two main jets to tackle the fire.