Exploding aerosols close busy UK motorway for hours

Exploding aerosols aboard a blazing truck forced the closure of one of Britain's busiest motorways for several hours.

The truck, carrying domestic products including aerosols, caught fire about midday on Tuesday while travelling on the M1 through the Midlands region of England.

Video taken by a witness shows orange flames and smoke bellowing from the truck's trailer on the side of the road.

Motorists heard a series of loud bangs after the blaze began, reports the Leicester Mercury.

One witness tweeted they heard "rapid repeated explosions for a good 10 minutes".

A spokesman for the local fire service told the Mercury the fire started after the truck driver slammed on the brakes when a tyre blew.

He said: “It is believed the lorry suffered a burst tyre, causing the driver to apply the brakes so hard that that in turn created enough heat to cause a fire to start.”

He added two appliances and a water carrier put out the blaze on the motorway.