Car goes up in flames on hard shoulder of M55 westbound between Preston and Kirkham

The car caught fire on the westbound carriageway between Preston and Kirkham at around 1pm on Friday (November 10).

An eyewitness said the vehicle was “engulfed in flames on the hard shoulder.”

“It looked like other motorists had pulled over to assist and two fire engines were on their way towards the incident,” they added.

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said two fire engines from Preston and Penwortham attended the incident between junctions 1 and 2.

Firefighters equipped with one breathing apparatus used one hose reel to extinguish the flames.

“No injuries were reported,” a spokesman for LFRS added.

“They were in attendance for an hour.”

Traffic was coping well in the area following the fire, but motorists warned each other to be careful if travelling in the area.

A resident on social media wrote: “Car on fire M55 coming into Blackpool. Avoid it if you're coming back in. Traffic will be grid locked soon.”

Another added: “Car fire on M55. Please be careful. Praying everyone is safe.”