A lorry fire sparked huge 10-mile queues on the M62 this morning.
The eastbound carriageway of the motorway was first closed off just after 4.30am after the blaze broke out. Fire crews were called to the scene between junction 19 for Middleton and junction 20 for Rochdale.
The blaze has now been extinguished, but the lorry needs to be recovered from the scene. The road will also need to be resurfaced, Highways England said.
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A picture showed the red vehicle left burnt out on the side of the carriageway. It has not yet been confirmed whether anyone was injured in the incident.
Two lanes remain closed off this afternoon with long delays building up to the incident. Travel time through the area is currently around an hour.
The lane closures are also causing queues on the M60 clockwise. During rush-hour this morning, 10-miles queues were reported by Highways England.
There were huge delays on the eastbound carriageway back to the M60. A statement posted on the Highways England website earlier said: "There are long delays of up to 60 minutes on the M62 eastbound on approach to J19 whilst complex recovery of an HGV is being undertaken. Lanes 1 and 2 (of 3) are currently closed.
"The HGV caught fire in the early hours of this morning and required additional resources and equipment to remove from the network. National Highways Traffic Officers as well as specialist crews are currently on scene.
"There is approx. 10 miles of congestion on approach to this incident back to M60 J13. If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey.
"Further information is available from National Highways by visiting our www.trafficengland.com website and travel apps, or via our regional twitter feed. Our 24/7 contact centre team is also available to provide up to the minute information on 0300 123 5000."
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: "Just after 4am this morning (Tuesday 26 July) crews were called to attend a fire involving an HGV on the hard shoulder of the M62 eastbound, between junctions 19 and 20. Three fire engines from Blackley, Rochdale and Whitefield fire stations arrived quickly at the scene, and firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used jets and hose reels to bring the fire under control.
"Crews were supported by colleagues from Highways England and Greater Manchester Police, who managed road closures around the scene, and were in attendance for around an hour-and-a-half."
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