A motorist was forced to flee his car after it burst into flames when he hit a bale of hay.

A lorry had shed part of its load between junctions 13 and 14 of the M5 near Stroud in Gloucestershire at around 1815 GMT on Thursday.

Several vehicles were able to swerve to avoid the falling bales of hay, but the man drove over part of one, setting fire to his grey Mercedes.

All three northbound lanes of the motorway had to be closed while the remaining hay was cleared up, causing long tailbacks.

Evasive action

A Gloucestershire Police spokesman most vehicles had been able to avoid the hay, not the Mercedes driver.

He said: "Some of the hay stuck to the vehicle and caught fire - the driver was able to pull over and get out, but could not extinguish the flames.

"The car was totally burned out but the driver, a man from Norfolk, was not injured."

Officers investigating the crash have appealed for witnesses.