AN INCIDENT involving an HGV caused three fires on the A1(M) in North Yorkshire yesterday evening.

The blazes added to a day of misery for holidaymakers using the road.

The motorway had been busy all afternoon with very heavy holiday traffic and motorists had reported lengthy delays.

Shortly after 6pm a tyre on the HGV caught fire when it blew out between the motorway's junctions with the A684 and the A61.

The flames ignited three small fires on the grass verge of the carriageway.

Firefighters from Ripon, Thirsk and Bedale dealt with the blazes and made the area safe.