A lorry driver is lucky to be alive after the vehicle he was driving caught fire and went up in flames just seconds after he jumped out of the cab.

Lorry driver, Brian Green, was waiting at the traffic lights in London Road, Elworth, today (Tuesday) when a motorist in front of him alerted him that the underneath of the cab was alight.

The plucky man from Stoke, who has been driving lorries for 35 years, straight away jumped out of the cab , which was stationary at the traffic lights, before watching the cab go up in flames.

He told Sandbach Nub News exclusively: "I have never known anything like it. I saw smoke coming through the vents and jumped out.

"It just went up in flames. It was so quick and I am very, very lucky. If I had got out minutes later who knows what would have happened? I dread to think."

Brian was not injured in the accident but was left in shock as he watched firefighters battle with hoses to put out the blaze in the cab which burnt nearby trees and guttering on a nearby building.

Photo: Lydia Bowyer

Long traffic queues backed up after police closed the road to traffic and set up a detour back on to London Road heading towards Moston and Middlewich. The road is the main road going out of Sandbach towards Middlewich.

An eye witness , who didn't want to be named, said the driver in front of the lorry alerted the lorry driver to the blaze around just before 5pm .20 pm.

"As I understand, the motorist in front told the lorry driver there were flames coming from underneath.

Photo: Stephen Brown

The haulage vehicle was carrying limestone and the incident left diesel spread across the road which remained closed while the road was repaired.