An electrical fault in a refrigerator has been blamed for a major fire at a petrol service station today that caused traffic chaos across three counties.

Fire crews were called just before 7am to the Esso service station at Barton Mills and the A11 was closed in both directions.

Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service deployed four fire engines – from Mildenhall, Newmarket and Bury St Edmunds- plus a water carrier to help bring the fire under control.

Luckily no one was hurt in the blaze that took up to two hours to bring under control.

Cladding is being removed from the external side of the building to help stop the fire.

A spokesman for Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said a building inspector will be required once the fire has been tackled to check the building is safe.

Area fire commander Nigel Vincent from Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service said: “The first attending crews quickly isolated the forecourt so that means basically they cut all the electricity supply off to the forecourt which renders the pumps unable to draw petrol from the tanks underground which isolates the petrol supplies on site away from the fire.”

The A11 had been closed in both directions between the B1085 and the A1065 at Mildenhall, but both northbound and one southbound lane were reopened at 9.15am.

The area around the Barton Mills roundabout is one of the busiest sections of road in East Anglia.