A LORRY loaded with sugar caught fire after just making it to the top of a long uphill stretch of the M62 from Greater Manchester into West Yorkshire.

The driver managed to steer the tanker on to the hard shoulder after seeing smoke coming out of his engine at 7.20am today.

He ground to a halt a mile from junction 22 for Ripponden.

He put the blaze out with a dry powder extinguisher before firefighters arrived from Elland and Halifax.

The first lane of the motorway was closed while the fire crews made sure the blaze was out.

Damage was confined to the engine but traffic queues quickly built up on both carriageways.