Lorry bursts into flames on M6 after being blown into bridge by Storm Franklin

High winds from Storm Franklin caused a lorry to collide with a bridge and burst into flames on a motorway.

The haulage vehicle caught on fire along the M6 after it struck the bridge and was engulfed in flames.

An image tweeted by Lancashire Police showed the remains of the lorry, which was completely destroyed in the fire between junctions 27 and 28 of the M6 near Chorley.

Police said the driver managed to get out of the lorry’s cab with the aid of motorists who stopped at the scene.

The lorry driver was taken to hospital with serious head injuries.

Read more: Storm Eunice sees highest ever winds of 122mph recorded

A post on the Lancs Road Police Twitter account just before 8am on Monday read: “High winds caused this HGV to hit a bridge and burst into flames on M6.

“Driver luckily escaped from cab with help from other motorists and is being assessed at hospital.”

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police told Yahoo News UK: “We were called at 4.51am today to reports of a single-vehicle road traffic collision involving a HGV on the northbound carriageway of the M6 at junction 27.

“Emergency services attended and found the vehicle had caught fire. The driver of the HGV was already out of the vehicle when emergency services arrived.

“He has been taken to hospital with serious head injuries.

“A full motorway closure was initially put in place. The southbound carriageway has since reopened. The northbound carriageway remains closed at this time.”

Firefighters from Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service arrived on the scene and put out the blaze.

It said: “Five fire engines from Lancashire and Greater Manchester were called to a fire involving a HGV and its trailer on the M6 near Chorley.

“The fire started following a road traffic collision and the vehicle subsequently hit a bridge.

“By 7am, the fire had been extinguished using four breathing apparatus and three hose reels and the M6 southbound had reopened.

Watch: Storm Franklin strikes as amber warning issued by Met Office

Read more: Wind energy from Storm Eunice generates 42% of electricity across UK

“The driver of the vehicle was treated by paramedics from North West Ambulance Service and all agencies are working in difficult conditions to reopen the northbound side of the M6.”

National Highways North West said in a statement: “The M6 in Lancashire is closed northbound between J27 and J28 due to a vehicle fire.

“Lancashire Emergency Services are in attendance.”

It said motorists in the area could expect delays of about 30 minutes to their journeys.

National Highways also said the M60 in Greater Manchester was closed between junctions 10 and 11 due to an overturned HGV which had come to rest on the central reservation.

The lorry was on its side along a bridge near Trafford Park in Manchester.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue reported saving a number of people from stranded cars on the A61 at Harewood Bridge, with more reports of roads left impassable due to flash flooding across the region.

Several major road bridges were closed on Monday morning, including the M48 Severn Bridge connecting England and Wales, and the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex.

Read more: Storm Eunice causes havoc around UK

Storm Franklin has sparked evacuations in parts of the UK and caused widespread rush-hour travel disruption, with train operators warning customers not to travel amid gale-force winds and flooding.

A yellow wind warning that covers England, Wales and south-western Scotland is in place until 1pm, while an amber warning for Northern Ireland expired at 7am.

Thousands of homes in the UK are still without power due to Storm Eunice, which struck on Friday, and Storm Franklin is complicating recovery efforts.

Watch: Franklin becomes third storm to hit UK in a week