Lorry fire forces M20 to shut with four-mile queues and delays of 45 minutes

3 hours ago 7

South-East @?HighwaysSEAST ? 1h Work to extinguish the fire continues at scene, the #M20 westbound remains closed between J3 (#M26) and J1 (#M25). We're working to reopen a lane. Traffic being diverted via #M26 and #M25. Delays in excess of 45 minutes, approx. 4 miles of congestion.

It’s not yet clear what caused the vehicle to catch fire (Picture: National Highways)

London-bound drivers in Kent have been warned they face severe delays after a lorry fire left the M20 shut this morning.

The motorway’s westbound lanes were closed between Junction 3 for the M26 and Junction 1 for the M25 following the incident, which happened around 5.45am.

Traffic caught up in the closure began to be slowly released in lane 3 just under two hours later, while other traffic is being diverted via the M25 and M25.

National Highways said drivers should still expect ‘long delays on approach to the closure.

Delays were last estimated at around 45 minutes, with some 4 miles of congestion along the highway.

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.

Traffic monitor INRIX has reported congestion as far back as Junction 4.

It also indicates delays of around 40 minutes on the A2 near Gravesend.

Firefighters were continuing to work at extinguishing the fire just before 7am.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.