M6 lanes closed after lorry catches fire near Wigan

A lorry has caught fire on the M6 near Wigan, leading to lane closures and delays this morning (July 16).

By Matthew Calderbank

Published 16th Jul 2020, 09:57 BST- 1 min read

Updated 16th Jul 2020, 13:34 BST

The lorry fire happened on the northbound M6 between junctions 25 (Wigan, A49) and 26 (Orrell Interchange, M58) at 8.45am.

Two lanes were closed as Greater Manchester fire crews quickly dealt with the burning vehicle and the fire was extinguished.

One lane has since reopened, leaving just lane 1 closed, with congestion back to junction 24 (Ashton-in-Makerfield).

Highways England said it expected the lane to be reopened at around 10.15am, with normal traffic conditions to resume soon after.

But more than an hour later at 11.49am, an update from Highways said that congestion was increasing on the approach to the scene of the fire.

Highways tweeted: "Please be aware of this incident if travelling northbound on the #M6 this morning.

"Average journey times are now 40 minutes longer than normal for this time of day and there is just over 3 and a half miles of congestion.

"Allow plenty of extra time for your journey."

UPDATED - 1pm - Recovery is complete and all lanes are now open