A14 finally reopened through Northamptonshire following Tuesday's fire

Major route shut since 3pm Tuesday as fire crews dampened down 100 tonnes of smouldering hay bales
By Kevin Nicholls
Published 14th Oct 2020, 08:02 BST
Updated 14th Oct 2020, 08:10 BST
A ten mile stretch of the A14 remained closed until around 7.30am on WednesdayA ten mile stretch of the A14 remained closed until around 7.30am on Wednesday
A ten mile stretch of the A14 remained closed until around 7.30am on Wednesday

A ten-mile stretch of the A14 near Kettering has finally reopened more than 16 hours after a lorry carrying 100 tonnes of hay caught fire.

The carriageway was closed westbound between the A45 at Thrapston and Kettering at around 3pm on Tuesday.

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HIghways England initially feared the road would remain shut for most of Wednesday morning but it eventually reopened at around 7.30am.

Firefighter remained on the scene most of the night to dampen down the smouldering load.

Heat from the fire also damaged the road surface which needed repairing before the carriageway could be reopened for traffic.

A spokesman for Highways England said: "At the request of the Fire Service we implemented a westbound carriageway closure of the A14 and a lane two closure on the eastbound carriageway.

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"This had to be a protracted closure. The LGV is carrying hay bales and these will have to be individually removed under control and damped down fully.

"The closure remained in place due to the hay bales re-igniting."

Related topics:A14Highways EnglandNorthamptonshireKetteringA45

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