THE BLAZE which caused havoc on a Newport dual carriageway this afternoon was "accidental", the fire service has said.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service (SWFRS) were called to an incident on the A4042 westbound this afternoon, March 11, at around 12.16pm.

Traffic around junction 25A (Grove Park) on the M4 came to a halt as a thick cloud of smoke billowed into the air.

SWFRS personnel used breathing apparatus and absorbent granules to get the fire under control.

Authorities reopened a lane just after 1pm as the fire service issued a stop message.

It took until 2.43pm for the off slip to fully reopen.

The incident has been logged as accidental.

A spokesperson said: “At approximately 12.16pm on Monday 11th March, SWFRS was called to an incident on the A4042 Westbound, in which a vehicle had caught fire on the slip road.

“Police and Traffic Management were also called to attend, due to the heavy build up of traffic on the dual carriageway.

“Breathing apparatus and absorbent granules were used to tackle the blaze. Tagged as accidental. STOP message received at 13.02.”