Four fire crews were called and the A12 was blocked after 16 tonnes of hay caught fire on the back of a tractor yesterday.

The hay bales caught alight while the tractor was travelling along Main Road, in Hatfield Peverel, but the smoke drifted across to the A12.

According to the Essex Traffic Control Centre, one lane of the A12 was closed Londonbound between Witham and Hatfield Peverel for nearly one hour.

Firefighters from Witham, Great Baddow and Chelmsford were called to the scene at around 5pm yesterday afternoon.

Once the fire was out they pulled it apart to dampen it down to make sure it was completely cool.