A CAR fire on the East Lancashire Road caused delays for drivers.

Firefighters were called to the eastbound carriageway of the A580 near Astley – travelling towards Manchester – at about 11.20pm last night.

A light blue Ford Focus was engulfed in flames and was blocking one of the lanes, causing queues.

The driver, a woman in her thirties, had smelled smoke and saw flames coming from under the bonnet when she pulled over.

Firefighters, who spent an hour putting out the fire, said the blaze was accidental.

Police also attended to remove the vehicle and deal with the traffic and the Highways Agency attended to fix the damage to the road the fire had caused.