A MAJOR motorway has been shut all night after a huge lorry blaze damaged the carriageway.
Drivers were warned ofchaos on the M6 this morning as delays are expected to continue for hours.
Emergency services responded to reports of the fire between junctions 22 at Winwick and 23 for the East Lancs Road at around 2.30am on Monday.
The southbound carriageway reopened around an hour later, but the northbound carriageway remained shut.
National Highways later said there would be a full closure in place for resurfacing works to be carried out overnight into Tuesday morning.
The update read: “The M6 northbound is now closed between J21A (M62) J23 (Haydock) for emergency resurfacing following an earlier vehicle fire.
“These works will be taking place overnight with them being removed prior to the morning rush hour. Allow extra journey time.”
A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fire crews were called to an HGV fire on the M6 northbound between junctions 22 and 23 in the early hours of this morning, April 14.
“Crews were alerted at 2.21am and on scene at 2.33am, with two fire engines from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and one from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in attendance.
“Crews arrived to find a HGV trailer well alight. The driver was out of the vehicle on arrival and in a place of safety.
“Traffic flow on the carriageway was managed by the Highways agency and police with intermittent closures of parts of the carriageway and lane closures owing to firefighting activity and a significant smoke plume.
“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were able to extinguish the main part of the fire by 4.45am using main jets and hose reel jets and were damping down by around 5.00am.
“Firefighting had ceased by 6.34am and crews left the scene at 6.52am.”
