The M1 has reopened in both directions after being shut for almost five hours following a lorry fire.
The motorway was shut northbound and southbound between junction 23 for the A512 Ashby Road East (Loughborough) and junction 23a for the A42 (Derby / East Midlands Airport / Tamworth.)
It was closed in both directions at around 1.35pm on Monday (March 14).
A lorry involved in a crash caught fire and blocked the northbound carriageway, while the southbound carriageway was also blocked because of the smoke.
Highways England said the lorry collided with a significant amount of nearside barrier, including on an elevated bridge section, before it burst into flames.
The vehicle ruptured its fuel tank, spilling diesel onto the road surface.
The fire completely destroyed the lorry.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire Police said: "We got a call of a report that a lorry collided with a barrier on the M1 at around 1pm.
"It was also reported that the lorry was alight.
"The driver was not injured."
One local resident reported hearing a loud bang and said it sounded like an "explosion", as well as smoke billowing over from Shepshed.
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said two hose reel jets were used along with two breathing apparatus to open and cut away the lorry.
Recovery officials attended and mobilised a digger to help with the dragging out of the lorry and surrounding area.
Highways England requested a structural engineer to make sure there were not any safety concerns because of a nearby bridge.
It was assessed and eventually reopened.
Motorists caught in the road closure were told they would have to turn around and drive back up the way they had come to the previous junction.
That started from the rear of the queue and worked up towards the scene of the incident.
Broken down vehicles had to be removed in both directions before the carriageway could be reopened.
The southbound carriageway was reopened to traffic at around 4.35pm, but the northbound carriageway, the side of the incident, took longer to clear.
Traffic caught in the closure northbound was finally able to pass the incident via the outside lane at around 5.25pm.
The northbound carriageway eventually reopened at around 6.10pm, but with significant delays.
There is a planned closure on the M1 southbound between junctions 23a and 23 including slip roads for carriageway reconstruction.
That starts at 10pm on Monday (March 14) and lasts until 5am on Tuesday (March 15).
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