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Vehicle fire closes motorway after collision

BBC All three lanes of the M4 are full of cars at a standstill with their red breaklights on, there is a road sign to the left which says 'Traffic held for incident'BBC

A vehicle fire brought traffic to a standstill near Reading for more than three hours.

National Highways said the fire happened after a collision between a car and van on the M4 at about 17:30 GMT on Tuesday.

The agency posted on social media, explaining the incident happened between junction 11 for Reading and junction 12 for Theale on the M4.

It said diversions had been put in place because queues were up to three miles long.

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In an update at 21:36 GMT, National Highways said the M4 westbound was closed between junctions 11 and 12, as oil and fuel from the collision was "across all lanes".

It said contractors were attempting to clean the road surface and "a decision to resurface or not will be made soon".

A statement from National Highways said "both vehicles are completely burnt out so recovery will be protracted".

At 20:00 BBC Radio Berkshire reporter Patrick O Hagan said he had been stuck in the traffic since 17:45.

He explained: "Every so often a police car comes up alongside on the inside lane heading up to whatever's going on. A lot of frustration here, who knows when we'll be released."

Thames Valley Police and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service have been contacted for comment.

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