DRIVERS faced rush hour chaos after a vehicle fire forced the closure of one lane on a busy Essex road.

One lane of the eastbound A120 was closed approaching Braintree from Stansted on Tuesday afternoon (October 10).

Firefighters were called to the scene just before 5pm and traffic was heavier than usual in the area while they dealt with the incident and for some time afterward.

A frustrated rush-hour commuter said they had spotted three fire engines and a fire-damaged Mercedes-Benz convertible at the scene as they passed at about 5.30pm.

Braintree and Witham Times: Delays - one lane is closed on the eastbound A120Delays - one lane is closed on the eastbound A120 (Image: Public)

"I've been queuing for a long time," they said. "It's added at least 25 minutes to my usual journey."

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed firefighters attended the incident.

A spokesman said: "Firefighters were called to an incident near the A120 Braintree bypass at 4.40pm.

"On arrival, crews confirmed it was one car that was alight. Firefighters used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire." 

It came after an already busy day on the county's roads after motorists faced delays on the A12 following a police incident which closed both carriageways between Marks Tey and Colchester for about seven hours.