The M62 was shut after a car transporter caught fire.

The blaze broke out as the lorry was being driven on the eastbound carriageway from Scammonden towards Outlane at 6.25pm today.

The driver managed to pull over to the hard shoulder near Outlane Golf Club and escape his cab safely before the fire took hold, destroying several of the cars and causing damage running into tens of thousands of pounds.

The transporter was carrying seven Land Rover Discovery vehicles.

Three were destroyed while firefighters managed to save four.

Four fire engines were sent to the scene from Rastrick, Halifax and Rochdale fire stations.

See pictures of the blaze below.

Early reports suggested that the burning vehicles were exploding.

A West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman confirmed that the motorway needed to be shut in both directions with heavy smoke drifting across both carriageways while the blaze was tackled.

The westbound carriageway was reopened around 7.15pm but the eastbound remained shut - it began opening lane-by-lane around 8pm with the second lane open at 8.30pm. There were still long delays however.

The fire caused massive delays on the motorway with knock-on congestion on roads around that section of the M62.