Broken-down car catches fire on the A50 at Blythe Bridge

A broken-down car caught fire on the A50 westbound through Blythe Bridge this morning, forcing a short closure of the dual carriageway during the school-run and commute.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue was called at about 6.50am. Two crews attended, used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire, and left the scene at 7.50am. The service said the blaze was accidental and started after an engine malfunction.

Staffordshire Police said officers told National Highways, which shut the road while firefighters worked. Police confirmed the carriageway reopened once the fire was out and that crews left a short time later.

The hold-up landed on an already awkward morning for Potteries drivers: the eastbound A50 through Longton was running with a lane out, and traffic monitors flagged slow-moving westbound traffic back from the B5029 Creda roundabout.

By mid-morning the A50 itself was reported back to normal, aside from the usual westbound crawl towards Sideway.