FIREFIGHTERS battled for more than five hours after a trailer loaded with 20 tonnes of wood chippings caught fire on the M53.

The trailer was moved to the hard shoulder at the motorway’s junction 12 with the A55 Southbound.

One fire engine from Chester, two fire engines from Ellesmere Port and one fire engine from Runcorn arrived shortly after 2.30pm and some did not leave the scene until close to 8pm on Wednesday, September 21.

Two hose reels were used on the recycled wood chippings and a mechanical digger had to be called to remove chippings already extinguished to get to the burning wood beneath.

“Once the digger and the skips went out it moved along quite quickly,” said crew manager Dave Doneo at Chester fire station.

“We had to get the burnt chippings off and ascertain what was burnt and what wasn’t, then we were just damping down.”

The Highways Agency and police arrived and one lane was shut, causing severe congestion.