Car explodes on M11 motorway killing man Published duration 13 January 2016

image copyright Cambridge TV image caption The road is not expected to open until after the rush hour, Highways England said

A car has exploded in a "ball of fire" on the M11 motorway, killing a man.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames at 08:10 GMT on the southbound carriageway at junction 12, near Barton in Cambridgeshire.

A bomb disposal team was sent to the scene. Police said there was nothing to indicate any other vehicle had been involved.

The body and car were recovered by 16:15 GMT, but the carriageway is due to remain closed into the evening.

'Black smoke'

Stephen Macaulay, who was driving across the flyover near the scene, said: "As you looked down you could just see this unbelievable ball of fire. I've never seen a car on fire like this before

"All you could see was a huge ball of fire with black smoke billowing up out the top of it.

"It was just in the middle of the carriageway and cars were keeping away from it."

Mr Macaulay described it as "really shocking".

"Obviously something exploded, you'd have thought… you look back at that and you just thought, something's really gone up here," he said.

Cambridgeshire Police said the southbound carriageway closure had been moved back to junction 14 from junction 12.

One lane of the northbound carriageway past the scene is also closed and diversions are in place

The cause of the fire and identity of the man are not yet known and a police spokeswoman said detectives were "not ruling anything out".