A vehicle fire in the Tyne Tunnel caused major traffic congestion on Saturday afternoon. Both directions were closed for a short time, after the fire broke out on the southbound side of the busy driving route.
TT2, the operator of the tunnels, first shared information about the incident at around 4.45pm, saying that ‘traffic was being held southbound’, and that further updates would be shared in due course, with blue light services attending soon after.
Then, around 30 minutes later, TT2 said that both tunnels were being held in response to the fire, adding that emergency services were working at the scene. After that, a spokesperson for the tunnels operator said: “Traffic remains held in both directions following a vehicle fire in the Southbound tunnel.
Confirming the exact nature of the incident, the spokesperson added this message: “The fire is now out and the vehicle is being recovered, we will keep you updated with further movements, thank you for your patience.”
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