A50 shut and ‘severe’ delays as crews tackle lorry fire

Part of the A50 remains closed this afternoon – as firefighters continue to put out a lorry fire. Traffic monitoring system Inrix is reporting ‘severe delays’ caused by the closure of the A50 westbound heading into Stoke-on-Trent. The carriageway has been closed between the Blythe Bridge and Creda roundabouts since around 11am this morning.

Now queues are growing on the eastbound carriageway too ‘due to onlookers’. Inrix states: “The A50 westbound is closed. There are severe delays due to a lorry fire from the A521 Blythe Bridge roundabout to the Grindley Lane Creda roundabout.

There is congestion to the Uttoxeter and Upper Tean turn-off. Traffic is also congested on the opposite side back to the Meir Tunnel due to onlookers. Surrounding routes in and around Blythe Bridge are also heavily congested as traffic seeks an alternative.”

The fire-hit lorry still needs to be removed from the road. A Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service [1] spokesman said: “We are currently at the scene of a lorry fire on the A50. We received a report that a heavy goods vehicle caught fire on the road.

A number of crews are currently in the area alongside colleagues from Staffordshire Police. Firefighters are dampening down hotspots and making sure the area is safe. Recovery for the vehicle has been arranged and no-one is injured.

Crews are expected to start scaling back from the incident imminently.” Staffordshire Police [2] are urging drivers to find alternative routes. A police spokesman said: “We are currently at the scene of a lorry fire on the A50 and are advising motorists to find alternative routes of travel.

The westbound carriageway has been closed whilst emergency services deal with the incident.”

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References

^ Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^ Staffordshire Police (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)
^ Get daily headlines and breaking news emailed to you – it’s FREE (www.stokesentinel.co.uk)