FIREFIGHTERS had to tackle a blaze on a major road in Newbury this afternoon after a horse box attached to a pick-up truck went up in flames.

One appliance from Newbury Fire Station was called to the A34 northbound between Chievely and East Ilsey at 2.45pm.

Fortunately there were no horses inside and nobody was injured, but the silver Isuzu pulling the cart was destroyed.

“We were called by a couple of ladies who were driving the truck,” said Mike Wilson, of Newbury Fire Station. “They heard a noise and pulled over, when it became apparent what was happening.

“Fortunately the police were right behind the incident when it occurred and they were able to make the scene safe before we arrived.”

The crew took around 45 minutes to deal with the incident. 

There were some minor delays after, with one lane being closed for approximately 25 minutes before the traffic flow returned to normal.