A 110-tonne crane caught fire on the M6 on Thursday, causing traffic chaos in the area.

The vehicle was seen engulfed in flames on the northbound carriageway of the M6 near junction 36, shortly before 8am, prompting the Highways Agency to close the motorway in both directions between junctions 36 and 39.

Although the southbound lanes were reopened within a few hours of the incident, the northbound carriageway was limited to two lanes well into Thursday afternoon as recovery of the crane took place. The outside lane remained closed during the day to allow resurfacing works to be carried out overnight.

Kendal town centre experienced heavy traffic during the day, with diversions taking motorists along the A6 while the motorway closures were in place.

To tackle the blaze, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service's incident commander called for more resources due to the nature of the incident and a shortage of water.

Fire engines from Kendal, Milnthorpe, Kirkby Stephen and Sedbergh fire stations, and approximately 25 firefighters were present to extinguish the fire.