Major delays on M5 due to lorry fire in Devon

There has been disruption on the M5 after a lorry fire forced the closure of part of the road in Devon.

The fire started on the northbound side of the motorway between junctions 30 and 29 in Exeter at about 11:35 BST, said Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service.

National Highways said the lorry was transporting batteries and domestic appliances with nine miles (14.48km) of queues reported in the area, with long delays and diversions in place.

At 19:15 Devon and Cornwall Police Roads Policing Team estimated the carriageway would reopen at about 20:30.

It had been declared a major incident but the fire service said the scene was now safe.

National Highways said once inspection had taken place emergency resurfacing will be carried out overnight with lane one closed.

A spokesperson added delays were likely to remain and drivers were advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

Drivers on surrounding roads are also affected by delays caused by people looking for alternative routes.

At about 19:20 Jed Gorrara told BBC Radio Devon they have been stuck in traffic for about four hours after coming off Haldon Hill.

He said they were travelling to Southampton from Devon and had only travelled 14 miles, and were about three miles from junction 30.

Mr Gorrara also said they hadn’t eaten and were “ravenous”.

At about 19:30 Sarah from Cornwall said they passed Alphington turn off at 14:38 and were still not at junction 30.

She added: “We have hardly moved.”

Marina said she left Tedburn St Mary at 14:00 and were on the overbridge on the M5 before Exeter Services and were not moving. She described it as “horrendous”.

Polly Trev said she set off from Newquay with her partner at about 16:00 to visit his parents in Somerset.

She said: “It’s now 20:00 and we are only just rolling into Exeter now.

“Traffic is pretty much standstill right now.”

The fire service said police had earlier declared a major incident due to “ongoing traffic disruption and smoke spread”.

Firefighters also issued a warning for residents and businesses near the scene to close their windows and doors due to the amount of smoke from the blaze.

National Highways said the contents of the lorry were being emptied onto the road surface to help firefighters while they battled the flames.

Sue Paz from BBC South West said drivers were “crawling along at a snails pace and my Sat Nav arrival time just keeps ticking up.

“There’s tailbacks with rows and rows of red lights of the back of cars ahead.”

She said it was “gridlock” on the M5 and on surrounding roads, with some cars unable to move at all after getting stuck on smaller lanes.

Exeter Services were closed for a short period while the incident was dealt with, but Devon County Council’s highways team said on X the site reopened just before 15:55.

Insp Jay Hawkes from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “We are focusing on ensuring that the community is not at risk and re-opening the motorway.

“We are working in conjunction with other agencies to deal with the issue thoroughly, and swiftly.”

A fire service spokesperson said the Environment Agency had been called out as a storm drain was near the fire.

“We would notify them due to the water run-off and potential contaminants from the fire if we haven’t been able to immediately prevent them from draining that way,” they said.

Public transport services were also disrupted as a result of the fire and bus company Stagecoach said the incident was causing congestion in Exeter.

It added Falcon services between Plymouth and Bristol were severely delayed.