Delays on M61 after car fire between Bolton and Manchester

There are long delays on the M61 towards Manchester this morning.

One lane (lane 3) is closed due to a vehicle fire on the southbound carriageway from J4 (Farnworth) to J3 (Kearsley).

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Traffic has been held since around 7.30am with delays of around 20 minutes for those approaching the scene.

Traffic monitoring services Inrix also reports congestion on the northbound carriageway near the incident.

A fire service spokesperson said: “We were called at 7.30am to reports of a vehicle fire on the M61. It involved a black Peugeot, one of the three door ones.

“The owner managed to get out of the vehicle and stood on the hard shoulder, but the car was fully alight when we got there.

“Three fire engines attended, National Highways closed the motorway and they will be recovering the vehicle as well.

“The fire has now been extinguished.”

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