THE southbound A1M near Wetherby finally re-opened earlier today after a massive lorry fire.

The road had been closed since mid-afternoon yesterday between Junction 47, the turn-off for the A59, and Junction 46 at Wetherby, with a diversion via the A168.



 

Highways England said at 7pm that there was currently approximately 8.3 miles of congestion on the A1(M) southbound between Junction 49 Dishforth and Junction 47, adding at least 75 minutes to normal journey times. 

It tweeted at 9pm that it was working with recovery to clear as much debris as possible, with a view to reopening lane 3.

It said: "We need to clear away the extinguishing foam used by the fire service and ensure the surface is ok but we're working to open asap."

It said at 10pm that the southbound carriageway is not expected to return to normal until about 3am on Tuesday.

Motorists caught the dramatic lorry fire on their dashcams as they drove along the A1M.