Terror on the motorway

A lorry driver was killed when his heavy goods vehicle was struck by a car travelling the wrong way down a motorway. A Central Motorway Police Group spokesman said: “Initial inquiries indicate that the car was travelling in the wrong direction prior to the collision. The collision led to a large fire affecting both carriageways of the M40, necessitating the closure of the motorway between junction 15 at Warwick and the M42. Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the Volvo lorry, which was carrying cans of hairspray, was gutted by the blaze, which showered hundreds of exploding aerosol cans on to the north-bound side of the motorway. Station officer Simon Ellershaw said the car involved came to rest about 80 metres away from the lorry, which toppled on to its side after the collision. The female car driver is understood to have been treated by paramedics for relatively minor injuries. Mr Ellershaw added: “When crews arrived the heavy goods vehicle was on fire and on its side, filling all three lanes of the southbound carriageway and the hard shoulder. “The aerosol cans, which are powered by butane gas, were exploding and were whizzing across the north-bound carriageway. It was a very severe fire. All the cargo was burnt and the roof of the lorry was destroyed.”