Car catches fire on M1 near Northampton causing two lanes to be closed northbound

A car caught fire on the M1 near Northampton, causing two northbound lanes to be temporarily closed this evening (Friday, September 11).

The front right-hand-side of the silver Vauxhall car was seen ablaze on the hard shoulder of the motorway between junctions 15a and 16 at around 4.40pm.

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from The Mounts and Mereway extinguished the blaze wearing breathing apparatus and using a hose reel.

Traffic was temporarily stopped while firefighters dealt with the incident but has now been allowed to go past the scene in the outer lane, Highways England tweeted.

"Please be aware there are long delays on the M1 northbound between J15 and J15a due to the ongoing vehicle fire," Highways England added.

"There is approx. 6 miles of congestion which is likely to add around 40 mins onto usual journey times."