A COACH was evacuated on the M4 after a blaze broke out in its engine this morning.

A total of 45 passengers on their way to Heathrow had to flee their coach at around 11am after a gasket blew in engine - causing smoke and flames to billow out the front of the vehicle.

Firefighters from Wokingham and Wokingham Road rushed to the eastbound carriage of the motorway between junction 10 for Reading and junction 8/9 for Maidenhead, but the fire was out on arrival.

However, the engine was left badly damaged and the passengers would have been stranded on the hard shoulder and embankment if luckily a passing coach had not stopped and taken them and their luggage to the nearest service station.