'Large' lorry fire closes stretch of M61 as emergency services rush to scene near Chorley

The HGV caught fire along the southbound carriageway between junctions 8 (Chorley) and 6 (Horwich) shortly after 4am today.

Emergency services, including police, two fire engines from Chorley, one fire engine from Horwich, and officers from Highways England rushed to the scene.

Fire crews from Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service also attended the incident.

"A lorry on the hard shoulder was well alight and firefighters used two breathing apparatus, one hose reel and an environmental grab pack to extinguish the fire," a spokesman for the fire service said.

"One casualty was assessed by firefighters.

"Crews were at the scene for just over an hour."

Traffic was halted in both directions at around 5am today, with northbound traffic released around 30 minutes later.

In an update posted at around 11.30am, Highways England confirmed southbound traffic had been released and all lanes were running.

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