M4 lorry fire in Newport causes 13-mile traffic jams

Image source, Irene Haines

Image caption, The lorry caught fire on the eastbound slip road at junction 26 of the M4

A lorry fire on the M4 resulted in traffic jams stretching up to 13 miles after both carriageways were closed.

The vehicle caught fire on the eastbound slip road at junction 26 in Newport. The fire was put out earlier and no-one was injured.

The M4 westbound reopened at about 17:15 GMT followed by the eastbound carriageway at about 19:55.

The A48 south of the city was also closed in both directions for about two hours due to an earlier crash.

Fire crews from Cwmbran, Malpas, Maindee, Aberbargoed, New Inn, Maindee and Merthyr Tydfil attended the fire after receiving a call at 15:53.

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The fire was declared out at 17:13, and the fire service said the lorry was carrying insulation.

The road closures led to traffic jams stretching back to the Prince of Wales Bridge.

Congestion was already building due to an earlier multi-vehicle crash on the A48 Southern Distributor Road south of Newport, with the road closed between Corporation Road and the Old Town Dock.

Traffic on both roads is now moving normally.

Image source, Irene Haines

Image caption, Firefighters extinguished the fire within an hour-and-a-half of receiving the call

Image source, @RatWelsh/Twitter

Image caption, The westbound lane was also closed because of the smoke