Police closed both carriageways of the M2 through Medway after a car transporter caught fire.

Emergency services were called at 6pm to the coastbound carriageway of the motorway, a short distance past junction three - the turn for the A229 Chatham.

Peter Connor from the Highways Agency confirmed at 6.30pm the M2 had been closed in both directions between junctions three and four.

Eyewitnesses reported tailbacks of more than two miles coastbound. The road was expected to stay shut until 8pm.

Sarah Fisher, 30 from Hempstead, who was on her way home when the fire began, said: "I had to drive past it on the hard shoulder, you could feel the heat emanating from it as I drove past and the smoke was quite bad.

"The back of the transporter was fully loaded with cars. Everyone was slowing down to look as they went past."