THE M5 through Somerset was closed this morning after a lorry caught fire – with drivers facing .

Firefighters were called to the southbound carriageway of the motorway between Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea at just after 9.15am this morning (October 25) to reports of a lorry with a wheel on fire.

Crews were sent from Burnham, Bridgwater and Cheddar, as well as a water carrier from Bridgwater.

And when they arrived on the scene, the crews confirmed the trailer was also ablaze.

“A request was made from the incident ground for the attendance of a telehandler to help offload the goods off the back of the lorry – this was mobilised from Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Station,” said a Devon & Somerset Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson in a later update.

More firefighters, from Taunton, were then sent to the scene, with the M5 closed in both directions at just after 10am.

Additional crews were sent to the scene at just after 10.30am, from Martock, with a 25m cordon put in place around the vehicle before a telehandler got to work removing pallets from the lorry.

Delays are currently standing at around two hours, National Highways said, as the motorway has not yet re-opened.

“If you are caught within the closure please remain in your vehicles and await further updates,” a spokesperson added. “We will start releasing traffic as soon as possible.”