The M6 northbound carriageway near Birmingham City Centre remains closed this morning after a lorry caught fire overnight. The closure affects the section between junction 5 at Castle Bromwich and junction 7 at Perry Barr.
West Midlands Fire Service attended and successfully extinguished the fire. Although the lorry’s cab has been removed from the scene using a forklift and flatbed truck, the road remains closed to allow crews to remove cargo spilled from the trailer and to carry out a full assessment and cleaning of the carriageway.
West Midlands Police and National Highways Traffic Officers are assisting with the ongoing response and managing traffic around the closure. It is expected that lanes one and two may reopen later today, once the road surface has been inspected and cleared by sweepers.
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Several diversion routes have been established to help motorists avoid the closure. National Highways advises drivers to plan for extra travel time or consider alternative routes while the motorway is shut.