M1 lorry fire: Motorway running smoothly again between Mansfield, Hucknall and Bulwell

A car transporter was ablaze on the motorway, causing all lanes southbound to be closed between Junction 28 for Mansfield and Junction 26 for Bulwell, and all lanes northboud between junction 26 and junction 27 for Hucknall.

The closures cause huge traffic build-ups and jams at rush hour as drivers were forced to wait to look for alternative routes, meaning surrounding roads were soon jammed up with hundreds of extra vehicles.

The incident was first reported at 1.30pm but cars were initially still going on the motorway, causing queues to build up.

The motorway was closed just before 3pm as emergency services, including Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, attended the scene while police and traffic officers worked to release trapped vehicles stuck in the queues.

National Highways reported the motorway was finally fully reopened just before 10pm last night.