ENGLAND fans stranded in standstill traffic due to a lorry fire on the M62 had to watch yesterday's 2-0 win against Germany from the back of their cars.

The Carling lorry burst into flames just before 1pm on the westbound carriageway of the M62, closing the road for 14 hours. The driver escaped uninjured.

But the intense heat from the fire melted the tarmac beneath the vehicle.

Drivers were stuck in traffic for hours yesterday afternoon, as the westbound carriageway was shut between junction 21 and 22.

As queues backed up over 14 miles to junction 25, many stranded England fans watched the 2-0 victory against Germany from their cars.

There were reports of kind-hearted people setting up TVs in the vehicles and letting others watch the match action.

Highways England reported the road needed emergency resurfacing, after the fire melted the tarmac beneath the lorry.

Resurfacing crews arrived just after 11pm, while the remains of the lorry were being removed, and worked through the night to get the road reopened this morning.

According to reports, a stretch of central reservation was removed just after 6pm yesterday to allow queueing traffic to pass the scene before rejoining the westbound section.