A lorry carrying hay has caught fire on the M4 motorway near Swindon, forcing a closure and creating major disruption for drivers. According to Sky News, motorists heading westbound along the M4 towards the West Country have been advised not to travel, as the incident brought traffic on that stretch of the motorway to a halt.
The location of the fire was set out clearly in the coverage. According to the report, the lorry caught fire not far from Swindon, on the westbound carriageway between junctions 15 and 16. That section of the motorway became the focus of the response as emergency measures were put in place to deal with the blaze.
The nature of the load helped fuel the fire. According to the report, the lorry was carrying bales of hay, and it was this cargo that caught fire. The flames then spread beyond the vehicle itself, with the report noting that the fire set light to the verge running alongside the carriageway.
The intensity of the fire appears to have affected the road itself. According to the report, it looks like the road there has melted, an indication of just how hot the blaze became. Damage of that kind to the carriageway can complicate the clean-up and delay the point at which the motorway can safely reopen.
With the carriageway shut, the authorities moved to clear vehicles trapped behind the closure. According to the report, traffic caught within the closure is being turned around. People stuck in the delay are being told to stay in their vehicles so that this can be carried out safely, rather than leaving their cars on the live motorway.
The knock-on effect on journeys has been significant. According to the report, the delays are up to 70 minutes, with five miles of congestion reported on the approach to the incident. For drivers planning to head out to the West Country, that scale of disruption made the advice not to travel westbound along the M4 especially relevant.
The incident underlines how quickly a single vehicle fire can shut down a major route and ripple out across the surrounding network. With the closure in place, the hay lorry fire near Swindon turned a busy westbound stretch of the M4 into a standstill, leaving motorists facing lengthy waits while the response and the clean-up continued.