The slip road at an M4 junction will remain shut until the road is resurfaced after a car fire caused significant damage.

The exit slip road at junction 17 of the motorway, heading westbound near Chippenham, was closed while emergency services tackled a serious vehicle fire.

While the blaze has now been extinguished and the car recovered, the incident has caused damage to the road, which will need to be resurfaced before reopening.

A spokesperson for National Highways said: “The slip road remains closed due to an earlier car fire.

The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald: The fire caused damage to the road.The fire caused damage to the road. (Image: National Highways)

“The vehicle has been recovered but the road needs to be resurfaced before the slip road can reopen.”

The closure will affect traffic heading towards Chippenham on the A350 and Cirencester on the A429.

Fire crews rushed to the scene of the fire at around 2.30pm and were still on scene over an hour later.

A Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service spokesperson added: “We received a call at 2.26pm this afternoon about a vehicle fire on the M4 at junction 17.

“Crews from Swindon and Westlea are currently in attendance - two breathing apparatus extinguished the fire using a hose reel jet but are still on scene dampening down.”