A BURNING car was impaled by a metal post, fire chiefs have said.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service received a call at about 6.20am on Sunday of a vehicle being on fire on the M53 northbound between Junction 5 (Rivacre Road, Ellesmere Port) and Junction 6 (Hooton).

Two fire engines from Ellesmere Port turned out the scene. Firefighters were there for about an hour and 10 minutes. Police and Highways Agency staff also attended.

On arrival fire crews discovered that the saloon car was well alight on the grass verge and that it was impaled by a metal post through the engine compartment.

A firefighter wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.

The crews then damped the area down to make it safe.