PEOPLE were told to stay inside after a lorry carrying chemicals caught fire on the A1 (M) in North Yorkshire.

The road was closed in both directions at Dishforth due to the incident.

The incident was reported at 4pm and involved a lorry parked on the hard shoulder of the south-bound carriageway, just past junction 49.

The trailer of the lorry caught fire, and smoke blew over both carriageways. The driver managed to unhitch the trailer and move the cab away from the fire.

Both carriageways of the A1(M) were closed while firefighters deal with the blaze. At midnight the southbound carriageway was still closed as a recovery operation got underway.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue adivsed residents of Dishforth Airfield to close windows and stay indoors for the remainder of the evening and possibly this morning.

The Highways Agency put diversions in place.