THE M5 southbound between Wellington (j26) and Tiverton (j27) has reopened - ten hours after the road was shut off following a lorry fire.

The road was cleared at about 11pm, much to the delight of motorists, who experienced delays of up to three hours.

For most of the evening traffic was queuing as far back as Taunton after the lorry transporting 20 tonnes of paper and card burst into flames yesterday afternoon.

A fire service spokesman said the fire was caused by overheated brakes caused by a blown tyre.

Traffic also built up on the A38 southbound - the adjacent road to the M5 which motorists were diverted along.

The fire also affected the A358 at Silk Mills Lane.

Drivers were warned to avoid the area because of the gridlock.

A police spokesman said they received a call at 12.23pm reporting that the lorry had caught fire.

By 12.45pm the lorry was on the hard shoulder and was totally engulfed by flames.

Some motorists started walking along the carriageway after being stuck for several hours.

Trapped traffic was eventually released and motorists were diverted off the M5 at junction 26 and being allowed back on at junction 27.

The fast lane of the motorway was the reopened at about 9pm.

Five small gas cylinders in the cab of the lorry were also involved in the fire, the fire service said.

Fire crews doused the cab to cool the cylinders. The incident support unit from Taunton also attended due to the increased hazard.

The fire service put the fire out and made the vehicle safe at about 8.25pm.

The vehicle was recovered soon after.

At the fire's height, police, the Highways Agency and ambulance crews were all in attendance.

Four fire appliances from Wellington, Taunton and Cullumpton along with the water carrier from Bridgwater were sent to the scene. The command support from Wiveliscombe was also sent.

Rob Parry, Highways Agency operations manager, said the compacted card and paper was stacked on pallets and each one had to be removed and cooled before it could be moved - all adding to increased delays for the scroes of frustrated motorists.

For all the latest traffic information visit our Local Information Centre.

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