Drivers stuck in traffic for 'three hours' as huge lorry fire leaves '5,000 smashed bottles' on busy road

Drivers are facing long delays on the A1 this morning after a huge lorry fire saw thousands of bottles smash across the carriageway.

The A1 in Cambridgeshire remains closed southbound between the A43 (Stamford) and the A47 (Wansford) due to a fire involving a heavy goods vehicle.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue attended the scene and extinguished the fire, although the closures remain in place.

The lorry was carrying glass bottles, estimated to be around 5,000, which have been shed across the carriageway, causing further issues for motorists.

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National Highways has confirmed that specialist cleaning crews are now in attendance to begin the required clearance works.

The fire has been extinguished, although the road surface will need to be assessed for damage following the blaze.

Motorists are currently facing delays of at least 60 minutes on the approach to the incident, with National Highways urging drivers to allow extra travel time.

Frustrated drivers asked on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, how long it would take for the incident to clear, claiming that they had waited in traffic for "over three hours".

In response, National Highways: East, stated that traffic caught within the closure will be released from the rear of the queue.

It added: "Around 5,000 bottles from an HGV have smashed and scattered across the carriageway. Frontline teams are working at the scene to clear the debris as quickly as possible.

"Unfortunately, there is currently no estimated time for reopening. We will provide further updates as soon as new information becomes available."

Fire crews from Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue were first alerted to the blaze at around 7am between Carpenters Lodge and Wittering.

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Crews from Dogsthorpe, Stanground, Yaxley, The Peterborough Volunteer Fire Brigade and Stamford (Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service) were in attendance.

A spokesperson added: "Both lanes of the A1 were closed to begin with as smoke was affecting the northbound carriageway.

"One lane northbound has now been opened, but traffic is still heavy and we'd ask motorists to avoid the area if possible for now and find an alternative route."

National Highways has outlined a diversion route for motorists to follow to avoid the long delays on the A1.

Traffic is being diverted via the hollow triangle symbol on road signs

• Exit the A1 at the A43 Wothorpe junction and turn right (south) onto the A43
• Continue along the A43 through the villages of Easton on the Hill and Colleyweston
• At the A43/A47 Duddington roundabout, turn left (east) onto the A47
• Continue along the A47 until Wansford Interchange
• Go over the first roundabout (northbound entry to A1), across the overbridge and turn left on the second roundabout
• Follow the curving slip road onto the A1 southbound

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