M6 motorway shut after van fire and diesel spill

Aerial night-time view of a large motorway interchange, with multiple elevated roads and looping slip roads crossing over one another. Streetlights illuminate the carriageways, creating bright ribbons of light against the dark surrounding landscape. A small number of vehicles are visible as streaks of white and red lights along the roads. Trees and patches of greenery fill the spaces between the sweeping curves of the junction.

The M6 motorway was shut in the West Midlands after a van fire and "significant diesel spillage" caused significant delays, National Highways said.

All three lanes were closed for more than two hours on the southbound side of the carriageway between junction six for Gravelly Hill Interchange, known as Spaghetti Junction, and junction five near Castle Bromwich from 16:00 GMT on Saturday.

Emergency services attended on the scene with contractors to assess the road surface and recover the vehicle before two lanes were reopened at about 18:30.

Motorists have been advised to follow diversion routes via the A45127 southbound and A47 eastbound, to join the motorway after junction five.

Flames and thick black smoke billow from a large vehicle fire beside a motorway, viewed from inside a passing car. Bright orange flames are visible behind the central crash barrier, while a dense plume of dark smoke rises high into the sky. The image appears to be a screenshot from a mobile phone video, with the car dashboard visible in the foreground and trees lining the roadside in the background.

A National Highways spokesperson said they were called to the scene at 15:35 GMT and just one vehicle was involved in the incident.

No injuries have been reported.

In an update shortly after 17:00, the organisation said traffic caught within the closure was being released in lane four.

At 18:30, National Highways reported that there were currently delays of around 30 minutes on the approach to the scene, where lanes one and two remain closed.

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Original source M6 motorway shut after van fire and diesel spill

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