M5 lorry fire believed to be caused by 'careless fag end'

A haulage company believes a huge fire involving one of its lorries on the M5 was started by a "careless fag end thrown from a passing vehicle".

Traffic was brought to a standstill on Wednesday 13 March after a lorry carrying hay caught fire between Clevedon and Weston-super-Mare.

Terry Doidge, who has run the hay and straw merchant since 1991, told Devon Live one of his trailers has been totally destroyed by the blaze.

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He said "there will be a big insurance claim" and estimates the damage will be close to £20,000.

He described the incident as "an accident waiting to happen."

The lorry was transporting 14 tonnes of hay when it caught fire on the M5 between J20 and 21 at around 6pm earlier this week.

Emergency services, including Avon and Somerset Police and the fire service, responded within minutes.

Crews from five stations in the area were sent to extinguish the blaze.

Two out of the three lanes were closed for nearly 12 hours while Highways England carried out a clean-up operation until around 6am on Thursday 14 March.