M1 southbound in Leicestershire re-opens after lorry fire

The M1 southbound in Leicestershire has re-opened between junctions 22 and 23 after being closed following a lorry fire this morning. The Highways Agency has said that junction 23 remains closed and road users are still being diverted off the motorway, but may travel around the island and then re-join the motorway on the far side of the same junction. Despite the re-opening of the motorway, long delays remain in this area. The M1 southbound section was closed after a lorry trailer caught fire and sent exploding aerosol cans flying across the carriageways. The entire southbound section was shut between junctions 22 and 23 and the northbound carriageway reduced to one lane after the incident at 4.40am this morning. By 10.30am the entire northbound section was open but the southbound carriage way remained closed. Four fire crews from Coalville, Loughborough and Southern station in Leicester were called out to tackle the blaze on the trailer which contained pallets of aerosol cans. A specialist company was called in to lift off two 45 gallon drums of non-hazardous chemicals on the trailer. The driver of the lorry was not injured.