M6 lorry fire causes hour-long queues as lanes reopened following blaze
A lorry fire closed the M6 for an hour this morning, causing huge queues for people trying to get to work.
The southbound carriageway of the motorway was closed at around 8am after the blaze broke out between Junction 10a for the M54 and Junction 10 for Walsall.
The road was closed for around an hour while fire crews put out the flames before two lanes were reopened shortly before 9.30am.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Cannock were called to reports of a large vehicle fire just after 8am, with Staffordshire Police attending to manage traffic flow.
Two breathing apparatus and two hose reel jets were used to safely extinguish the fire.
National Highways said oil and diesel had spilt onto the road surface during the fire, but did not anticipate a full closure of the motorway to clean the mess up.
As of 12.30pm two lanes remained closed with a recovery truck now at the scene.
An update from National Highways said: "We now have a 'hydroblaster' on scene to clear the fuel spillage from the road surface and potentially prevent the need for resurfacing."
After the road was reopened, National Highways warned of 60-minute delays on the approach to the incident, however by 11am queues were down to 20 minutes.
The fire came on the same morning a crash between Junctions 2 and 3 on the M54 caused huge queues.
