THE M11 in Essex has partially reopened this morning after exploding aerosols turned a lorry into a huge fireball.
Both carriageways were closed by police between junctions ten and eight, near Stansted Airport, just after 5pm when a HGV went up in flames.
The closure remained in place throughout the night and officers at the scene spent several hours turning vehicles around which were stuck in long queues.
So this happened on the M11 pic.twitter.com/noro6qYhGK
— Alex Bampfylde (@Surrey_Flyer) July 14, 2021
In an update at 9am this morning, Highways England said one lane on both the southbound and northbound carriageways had reopened.
However, one lane on both sides remain closed to allow for emergency repairs to be carried out on the central reservation.
Queues have quickly built up throughout the morning on the northbound carriageway and were said to be six miles long by 7.15am.
#M11 lane 2 (of 2) remains closed between J8a and J9 northbound. There is 6 miles of slow moving traffic adding at least 30 minutes to normal journey times. Please pass the scene with caution and allow extra time for your journey this morning. pic.twitter.com/gZnTbT8JV5
— Highways England (@HighwaysEAST) July 15, 2021
Pictures from the scene taken yesterday showed the HGV – which was carrying aerosols - had been completely destroyed in the fire.
Police said no serious injuries had been reported from the incident.
Station Manager Dave Bond said: "The articulated lorry was carrying aerosol cans which exploded and scattered across both side of the carriageway. Thankfully the driver was not badly hurt.
"I must praise crews who worked extremely hard to establish a water supply in such a remote location and quickly get the incident under control.
"Unfortunately, the road will be closed for some time due to the extent of the fire."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel