6:10pm Thursday 2nd September 2010
TRAFFIC is back to normal on the M5 near Wellington after a lorry blaze earlier today.
The lorry caught fire after its tyre burst at around 10.30am.
One lane of the motorway was closed between for much of the day and traffic was slow in the area.
Dave Porter, from Cotford St Luke, was next to the lorry at the time and said its tyre burst and ignited after part of it got stuck in the engine.
He commended the driver for his calm response.
He said: “The lorry driver did a fantastic job of getting it to the hard shoulder out of harm’s way.”
Two fire engines from Taunton and one from Wellington attended the scene along with a water carrier from Bridgwater and an Incident Support Unit from Taunton.
Breathing apparatus and three hose reel jets were used to tackle the blaze.
Four tonnes of milk in cartons was being carried and The Environment and Highways Agencies are currently dealing with the run off from the spilt milk.
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