Drivers faced long delays on the M62 near Rochdale after a car fire brought traffic to a standstill. The incident occurred on the eastbound carriageway between junction 21 for Milnrow and junction 22 for Rishworth Moor, where a black SUV was seen on the hard shoulder with flames and black smoke coming from under the bonnet.
Traffic queued back to junction 19, with estimated delays of up to 30 minutes. Traffic reporting service Inrix confirmed very slow traffic due to the vehicle fire. All traffic was temporarily stopped to allow emergency services to deal with the blaze.
Although the fire has been extinguished and traffic has returned to normal on that section, the M62 eastbound remains partially blocked near junction 20 for Rochdale due to an obstruction on the road. Earlier, one of the exit slip roads at Rishworth Moor was closed for a tyre change, but it has since reopened.
Motorists are advised to allow extra time for their journeys and to check live traffic updates before travelling.
