Prison van goes up in flames on M62

TRAFFIC was brought to a standstill on the M62 yesterday after a prison van went up in flames.

The van had been carrying two female prisoners, as well as two escort officers, at the time.

A spokesman for GEOAmey, which is contracted by the Ministry of Justice to provide prison escort and custody services, confirmed that everyone got out safely.

It happened between junction 9 for Warrington and junction 10 for Winwick in Cheshire just after 1pm on Friday lunchtime.

Photos shared on social media showed a large plume of smoke coming from the carriageway.

Traffic was temporarily held, causing long tailbacks.

Motorists were urged to avoid the area if possible, with delays finally easing later.

A GEOAmey spokesperson said: “We can confirm an incident on the M62 near Manchester today (Friday) in which a secure escort vehicle caught fire. There were two escort officers and two female prisoners on board the vehicle who are all safe. Police were quickly on scene and assisted to escort the prisoners.”