Motorists faced significant disruption on the M5 this evening after a lorry fire prompted the closure of the motorway between Gloucester and Cheltenham.
According to traffic and travel website Inrix, at 6:21pm the M5 was closed in both directions due to a vehicle fire with smoke blowing across the carriageway. The closure extends from junction 10 (A4019, Cheltenham) to junction 11 (A40, Gloucester/Golden Valley Bypass).
Additional congestion was reported extending to junction 11A (Gloucester/Cirencester) for northbound traffic, and to junction 9 (Tewkesbury) for southbound traffic.
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A Gloucestershire Police spokesperson confirmed that emergency services were called shortly after 5:35pm following reports that a lorry carrying wood chippings had caught fire near junction 10. Both northbound and southbound lanes between junctions 11 and 9 remain closed while Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service works to extinguish the blaze.
The spokesperson added that the closure is expected to continue for several hours, advising motorists to avoid the area and seek alternative routes where possible.
An eyewitness caught in the traffic jam told Gloucestershire Live they had witnessed numerous individuals exiting their vehicles on the M5, with fire engines rushing to the scene.
National Highways South West shared an update on social media shortly after 7pm stating: “Traffic is stopped at junction 10 southbound whilst fire crews tackle the blaze. There are delays in excess of 45 minutes on approach with three miles of congestion.”