Cambridgeshire County Council thanked motorists and residents for their patience in the wake of a lorry fire in which 19 tonnes of straw was also destroyed..

Cambs Times: A1101 fire near NewtonA1101 fire near Newton (Image: Archant)

A council spokesman said: “Thank you everyone for your patience as we, our contractors Skanska, and our colleagues from the emergency services worked together on the A1101 lorry fire and re-opened the road.”

The road was closed for longer than expected because of repairs needed following the fire: the surface was badly damaged.

Drivers faced delays after the blaze on the A1101 between Newton and Long Sutton, near Wisbech at 4.15 on Tuesday.

One fire crew from Thorney and two crews from Wisbech, along with crews from Kings Lynn and Long Sutton, were called out.

Cambs Times: A1101 Lorry fire.A1101 Lorry fire. (Image: Archant)

A Cambs fire service spokesman said: “We arrived to find a lorry and a trailer containing straw bales alight. Wearing breathing apparatus firefighters extinguished the fire using hose reels and jets and cleared the smoke using a positive pressure ventilation fan. “

The crews returned to their stations by midnight.

The county council spokesman added: “We, Cambridgeshire Police and Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue worked closely together.”

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