Fans heading down to Wembley have seen their plans turn to chaos after a coach appeared to catch fire on the M6 with Manchester City supporters seen in the "standstill".
The coach was seen engulfed by flames on the M6 approach to Coleshill Parkway in Birmingham just before noon today (March 22). There are reports that the coach that caught fire was carrying Man City fans to Wembley. It is believed that everyone got off safely.
Hundreds of fans are believed to be heading down to Wembley today as Man City take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final. The incident on the M6 will make it a close call for fans to make it down in time for kick off at 4:30pm.
England Highways has said the M6 toll southbound between junctions T3 and T2 are currently experiencing delays due to a vehicle fire.
Manchester City fans
Manchester City fans were seen out of their cars as the M6 came to a standstill (Image: @larty70/X)
In a post on X, National Highways for West Midlands confirmed traffic has been brought to a standstill with images online showing City fans getting out of their cars.
"Traffic has been STOPPED on the #M6Toll southbound between T3 and T2 due to a coach fire. Emergency services are in attendance. Thanks for your patience if you're held up," it said.
Dozens of fans have vented their frustration fans on X about the traffic on the M6 this afternoon, with some reporting on the "massive tailbacks for City fans".
One fans wrote: "The whole road is stood still". Another warned: "Don’t be travelling on m6 toll. It’s shut due to a huge fire, loads of us stuck."
A third added: "Would it be a Wembley day out without a major fire on the motorway."
Some video footage shows fans going past the bus as the fire began and posted online that they "got lucky" just minutes before the road was closed.
Ridleys Coaches, the firm whose coach burst into flames, has issued a statement confirming everyone was evacuated from the vehicle.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm an incident occurred involving one of our coaches on the M6 Toll southbound earlier today. All passengers and the driver were safely evacuated with no injuries.
"We are grateful to the emergency services for their swift response. The coach was carrying fans to the Carabao Cup final, and the passengers are all safely on replacement coaches to the stadium.
"We are working with authorities to understand the circumstances and will provide further updates as appropriate."
National Highways are yet to give an official update following the closure of all lanes. They had earlier reported plans to hopefully get at least three lanes back open before 1:30pm.
Fans now have a race against time to reach Wembley for kick-off with Arsenal and Manchester City looking to claim their first silverware of the season.
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