Busy Somerset road still closed after huge hay lorry fire

Highways England hoped the road would reopen, but later confirmed it was too unsafe. Credit: Highways England

A busy road in Somerset remains closed in both directions after a huge lorry fire made the road too unsafe to reopen.

It happened on the A303 between South Petherton and Ilminster on Wednesday 26 August.

Firefighters from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service were called at around 3pm to reports of a car fire, that transpired to be a hay lorry.

Pictures like this show the fire at its height on the A303. Credit: Highways England

Crews came from Crewkerne, Chard, Yeovil and Exeter to help extinguish the flames.

Pictures show the vehicle, which was carrying around 20 tonnes of hay, completely destroyed.

Emergency services initially estimated the busy road would be closed for around four to six hours, but later confirmed it was too badly damaged to reopen.

The lorry was completely destroyed. Credit: Highways England

At about 3.45am this morning (Thursday 27 August), Highways England confirmed on Twitter that the lorry had been removed from the scene and staff were "carrying out repairs to make the road safe to reopen."

A couple of hours later a spokesperson said: "Our crews have completed the clear up at scene but have confirmed it is not safe to re-open either carriageway. Fire damage has made the road surface uneven and is not safe for traffic to use."

The road now needs to be resurfaced. Credit: Highways England

Diversions are in place for drivers, via the A358, A30 and A356 via Chard and Crewkerne.

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