Post destroyed by lorry fire

Thousands of pieces of post were destroyed when a Royal Mail lorry caught fire on the M25 on Wednesday (November 26) evening.

The lorry, which was carrying about 75,000 mail items, caught fire at about 11.40pm when a tyre puncture resulted in a brake pad overheating between junctions 12 and 11.

Fire crews from Egham, Chertsey and Painshill attended to fight the blaze, and a water carrier was brought from Camberley.

The driver was taken to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey with minor injuries, and the road was closed for more than two hours.

A spokeswoman for Royal Mail said most of the mail was "beyond repair", and had been posted in Guildford, Twickenham, Kingston, and post areas of W3, W4 and W6 areas on Tuesday or Wednesday.

She added: "Most of the items on board were those destined for addresses in Kent and Gatwick. Royal Mail apologises to customers whose mail may have been affected by the fire.

Anyone with concerns should contact customer services on 08457 740 740."