COMMUTERS were hit by motorway chaos when a car transporter and its load caught fire during the rush hour.

Tailbacks spread for miles last Friday morning as the transporter, carrying 11 new Honda cars, burst into flames between Junction 4, at Lydiate Ash, and Junction 4A, the M42 interchange on the northbound carriageway of the M5.

All three lanes of the motorway were closed as firefighters from Bromsgrove, Droitwich Spa, Redditch and the West Midlands tackled the blaze which started in the back wheels of the carrier just before 7am.

A hydraulic platform and a water carrier were drafted in to help combat the flames which were finally brought under control and allowed the motorway to be opened three hours later.

Ten cars and the transporter were totally gutted but emergency services managed to save one car which just suffered a melted bumper.

A spokesman at Bromsgrove fire station said: "This job was particularly difficult due to the lack of water supplies and the scale of the incident.

"These factors meant we had to use the water carrier from Kidderminster and the Environmental Protection Unit, from Stourport."