Two lanes had to be closed off while fire crews fought the blaze on the M$ (Picture: Splash News)
A huge queue of vehicles was brought to a complete standstill after a car caught fire in the middle of a motorway this afternoon.
A car was engulfed in flames as it got to the hard shoulder on the westbound M4, between junction 14 to Hungerford and junction 15 to Swindon, at around 3.30pm.
Fortunately the driver survived and there were no other casualties, Dorset and Wiltshire fire service told The Mirror.
Crews from Swindon and Newbury stations rushed to the scene to fight the blaze, using two pumps and a hose reel.
Out of three lanes on the M4, two of them had to be blocked off while the fire was dealt with.
This backed up traffic severely for hours afterwards. Striking photographs show the M4 flooded with more than a mile’s worth of traffic, completely halted, while smoke creates a thick cloud in the background.
People can be seen standing next to their cars after waiting inside them for ages.
Firefighters left just after 5pm but it would have taken a good while before traffic evened out agian.
Around a similar time, a giant sinkhole, about six inches deep and a foot long, opened up on the M5.
Several cars were damaged and two lanes were closed – causing traffic chaos there too.
People using the motorways were advised to ‘allow extra time for their journeys’.
Boris ignores the barbs and heads for Marbs: Critics will claim he's deserting his post mid crisis. Supporters will say he's nearly died, led the UK through Covid, had a baby, is weeks away from another and recently lost his mum – so give him a break
Boris Johnson has flown to Marbella for what he hopes will be his first undisturbed holiday since the Covid pandemic began.
The Prime Minister is travelling with his pregnant wife Carrie and their 17-month-old son Wilf, who is enjoying his first foreign break.
The family are understood to be staying in a private villa on the Costa del Sol, where temperatures yesterday were a balmy 24C (75F).
They made the trip after the Prime Minister's barnstorming speech to the Conservative Party conference last week, and are taking advantage of the fact that the Commons will be in recess for another week.
The Prime Minister has flown to Marbella with his pregnant wife Carrie and their 17-month-old son Wilf, who is enjoying his first foreign break
The Costa del Sol is popular with prime ministers: Tony Blair and his wife Cherie stayed at a friend's house in the village of Benahavis, which was visited by Michelle Obama in 2010
Marbella has long been a draw for the affluent and publicity-shy, with exclusive beach clubs offering privacy, gourmet food and fine wines.
But Mr Johnson's holiday there is likely to be seized on by critics, who will point out that he has left the country in the middle of a fuel crisis and with families facing a predicted 'winter of discontent', surging energy prices and stock shortages.
However, his allies will argue that his last proper break was on the Caribbean island of Mustique in early January last year – since when he has nearly died from Covid, lost his mother, divorced, become a father, remarried and prepared to welcome another child, all while dealing with the UK's gravest crisis since the Second World War.
It was reported yesterday that Mr Johnson was 'utterly exhausted' by the events of recent months.
The Prime Minister has not had good luck with his holidays, with his summer 'staycation' in the West Country curtailed by the Afghanistan crisis after barely a day.
The Prime Minister is travelling with his pregnant wife Carrie and their 17-month-old son Wilf, who is enjoying his first foreign break
He was spotted scurrying to Taunton train station in August with his shirt tail flapping out of his trousers as Kabul fell under Taliban control.
That came a year after an equally disastrous break to the Scottish Highlands, where he pitched a tent on a windswept shoreline next to a holiday cottage.
The trip was cut short for security reasons after his location was exposed by a national newspaper.
Mr Johnson also came close to 'catastrophe' when he was swept out to sea while attempting to paddle-board during the trip, only to be rescued by his security detail, it was claimed.
His holiday to the Caribbean was not without its issues either, as it prompted a Commons standards investigation into how the couple enjoyed a £15,000 holiday at a house owned by Carphone Warehouse co-founder David Ross.
Watchdogs concluded Mr Ross had donated the accommodation, but added that the arrangements had been 'ad hoc and informal and do not appear to have been fully explained to Mr Johnson at the outset'.
If he is seeking something more relaxing in the Malaga province that surrounds Marbella, keen historian Mr Johnson may be tempted by the ancient mountain-top town of Ronda, which Ernest Hemingway described as the most romantic town in Spain.
The region is popular with prime ministers: Tony Blair and his wife Cherie stayed at a friend's house in the village of Benahavis, which was visited by Michelle Obama in 2010.
However, his allies will argue that his last proper break was on the Caribbean island of Mustique in early January last year – since when he has nearly died from Covid, lost his mother, divorced, become a father, remarried and prepared to welcome another child, all while dealing with the UK's gravest crisis since the Second World War
David Cameron and his wife Samantha have also holidayed there. More lavishly, Russian leader Vladimir Putin is rumoured to have built a grand £20million ten-bedroom home with two swimming pools, a private helipad and garage for 22 vehicles in La Zagaleta, a private estate for the super-rich nestled in the Andalucian hills.
Manchester United footballer Cristiano Ronaldo recently bought a £1.4million seaside property with an infinity pool, a private golf course and four bedrooms in an area nicknamed locally as The Superstars' Cul-De-Sac.
Other Marbella visitors include Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson, Simon Cowell, Rod Stewart and Lord Alan Sugar, who owns a vast seafront villa there.
Senior EU officials are reportedly “very tired” and are on the brink of caving in over the Northern Ireland Protocol, which aims at preventing a hard border on the island of Ireland. According to the European Managing Director of geopolitical risk firm Eurasia Group, Mujtaba Rahman, European Union officials are clashing with the UK Government, whom he says “simply wants to ‘fight every day'".
His commentary comes after the bloc confirmed plans to table new proposals aimed at resolving ongoing difficulties earlier this week.
European Commissioner Maros Sefcovic promised “far-reaching” proposals addressing the problems, during a speech to the International Institute of Economic Affairs (IIEA) on the implementation of the Protocol, where he said: "A lot has been said by the UK politicians about the possibility of the UK triggering Article 16.
“I do not think that this has been helpful. It distracts us from working together to find solutions.”
In a series of tweets to his 28.2k followers, Mr Rahman discussed the EU’s proposals for addressing issues in Northern Ireland and referred to them as “substantive and far-reaching”.
He emphasised that Mr Sefcovic and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen played a key role in orchestrating the plans, saying that it has “taken a lot of time and leadership” from the pair to “get Commission services and member states into line".
He claims that while European Union capitals “haven't seen the final package and all the details, they've been socialised with what's coming” and have been working collaboratively on an effort.
Mr Rahman states that this EU unity will be a “key weapon in any ensuing standoff” and that their ambitious proposals have been driven by two driving forces.
He says their ambitions have been firstly driven by “a desire to institute practical fixes to improve experience of citizens and businesses” in Northern Ireland, and then added: “But also, importantly, tactics."
The expert speculates that the approach provides ammunition if the Government rejects the proposals, as “it will be easier to rally member states behind a tough response, as the EU Commission will be able to credibly claim it went ‘as far as it could’.”
He also references the European Court of Justice within his commentary, which he claims the “EU will offer no concessions on”, something he deems “unsurprising”.
He states that as a result of this action, “senior EU officials are resigned to a fairly hostile response” from Government Minister David Frost, which he speculates “may come via A16 notification or ‘legal limbo’ with ongoing negotiations and grace periods, where Protocol isn't applied”.
He claims that the European Commission has already considered such a factor though, and “are clear-sighted about where both could lead” in response to Ireland's place in the Single Market being called into question.
He states that he fears that the Government are “massively underestimating the likely EU response in these circumstances - circumstances where there would be growing pressure to institute checks & controls between Ireland & France & Ireland & other EU member states".
He also speculates over the divisive nature of the actions by saying “no German Chancellor or French President would side with HMG putting a member state in such an untenable situation.
“The v[ery] purpose of Single Market is to eliminate barriers between members. If UK's actions call that into question, the EU's response could be much more forceful," he continued.
The political risk expert speculates that retaliation could come in the form of suspension of the entire zero tariff / zero quota deal, which he says could be enacted through unilateral triggering a termination clause in the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).
Mr Rahman writes that many people in Brussels “think a big simple move like this would be needed for [the] UK to finally understand that this is existential”.
He calls how during Brexit negotiations a series of “sequencing” took place, including a withdrawal agreement / Irish border and trade talks, which were used “precisely because [the] EU wanted to ensure it locked down a solution to [the] Irish border".
He states that if such an agreement is currently being called into question by the Government, led by Boris Johnson then many think the TCA should be too.
In the final tweets in the thread, Mr Rahman states that with neither of those agreements in place “the politics won't be easy”.
He says that many in Brussels “rightly fear that once A16 is triggered, no British PM, let alone Boris Johnson will be able to stand Protocol back up. With it will disappear the poss[ibility] of a negotiated solution to [the] Irish border.”
Before adding: “Senior EU officials are VERY tired. They think HMG simply wants to “fight every day”. Still, [the] EU will assume more risk & further bend [the] Single Market for [the] UK next week. HMG may not bite. But they should do so with an appreciation of the full consequences that then might follow."
A newborn baby has been rescued by the RNLI after surviving a nine-hour journey across the Channel made by a group of migrants on Saturday.
Sky News witnessed the newborn girl, named Ayyan and wrapped in a blanket, being handed to a police officer on the shore in Dungeness, Kent, after making the potentially treacherous journey.
Asked by Sky News if French police tried to stop them, one man who could speak some English said: "No, they don't say anything." He also said officers watched them leave.
Image:Record numbers of migrants have landed on the Kent coast this year
The man also translated for the baby girl's mother, who said Ayyan was doing well and that she too was pleased to have arrived in Britain - prepared to risk her own safety and that of her child to get to England for "the best life".
Ayyan is believed to be between two weeks and a month old.
who generally claim asylum - are only a small fraction of the number of migrants arriving in the UK each year.
Sky News correspondent Ivor Bennett said: "There was exhaustion and elation in equal measure.
"After nine hours at sea, their treacherous journey was finally over. Several of the migrants were shivering as they were helped off the lifeboat on to Dungeness's shingle beach.
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Sky News witnesses people attempting to reach the UK's shores while French police fail to intervene.
"Those who did speak said they were from Iraq and Iran, including one man who said it was his "dream" to live here. Some were missing coats and even shoes, a few were soaked.
"The most arresting image of all - a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket. The little girl is just weeks old and yet she has experienced a journey few can comprehend.
"Her mother, almost too weary to speak, told me her name is Ayyan. Why risk her child's life to reach these shores? Because 'England has the best life'."
Image:Migrants arrive on the beach at Dungeness
Sky News later witnessed another boat carrying between 15 and 20 migrants arrive later on Saturday.
It brings the total number of migrants who have been rescued by the RNLI and brought to Dungeness to around 70.
Mr Bennett added: "These people are willing to risk everything because they think this is much better than what they have left behind.
"Most of the people I saw told me they were from Iraq and Iran. They were mostly men on this first boat, some of them without a coat, some of them without shoes, a lot of them soaked and shivering.
"One man who did speak English said it was his dream to come here and that was the overriding, unifying factor of all of these people: all of them were clearly very happy to be here, giving me the thumbs up and smiling."
The Home Office has said it will raise the footage with French counterparts - after the UK signed a £54m deal with France to increase patrols back in July.
It has described the record rise in migrant crossings to the UK over the Channel this year as "unacceptable".
Since the start of the year, more than 17,000 migrants have reached the UK - double the figure for 2020.
More than 25,000 people have risked death crossing the English Channel on board dinghies, kayaks and other small boats since the beginning of last year, according to PA news agency data.
French police make a mockery of £54m patrol deal as they stand and watch as migrants leave Calais for Britain unchallenged - before more than 40 including a 16-day-old baby girl from Iraq are helped ashore by RNLI lifeboat in Kent
Border Force pick up 42 migrants after successful crossing in Dungeness, Kent
RNLI lifeboat rescued the large group in dinghies at around 2pm on Saturday
Among those who survived perilous crossing was a 16-day-old girl from Iraq
Comes as armed French police accused of 'standing by and watching' as dozens of migrants, en route to England, piled into inflatable boats in Calais this week
French police have come under intense criticism for watching scores of migrants leave the shores of Calais 'unchallenged', after more people successfully made the perilous journey across the English channel on Saturday.
At least 40 migrants, including a baby who was less than a month old, were picked up off the coast after a small boat crossing off the coast of Dungeness, Kent today.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing increased activity from mid-morning, with the lifeboat arriving ashore at approximately 2pm.
French officials are said to be launching an investigation after armed police officers were accused of standing by and watching as dozens of migrants departed Calais this week
Armed French police officers (left) watch on from 100 yards away as scores of migrants (right) begin their perilous journey across the English Channel in Calais, France
Among those who survived the perilous journey was a 16-day-old girl from Iraq, who was pictured on the rocky beach cradled in white blankets in the arms of a Border Force official.
It comes as footage broadcasted on Sky News this week showed migrants leaving Calais unchallenged by armed police - in what is likely to be a fresh blow to Anglo-French relations.
Dozens of people were seen piling into inflatable rafts, dinghies - and even a canoe - in their desperate bid to make it across the English Channel, with French security 'stood by and watched'.
Less than three months ago, the UK agreed to hand France an extra £54m in a bid to curb the record-breaking number of migrant landings.
A the Tory annual conference earlier this week, Home Secretary Priti Patel described France as a 'safe country' and reiterated her desire to 'turn back the boats'.
After evading French security at first light, the migrants piled into dinghies and spent nine hours crossing the English Channel, before they were picked up by immigration officers this afternoon.
A 16-day-old girl from Iraq is pictured on the shores of Dungeness, Kent after being rescued by Border Force
An RNLI lifeboat carries approximately 40 migrants ashore at Dungeness in Kent after a successful small boat crossing in the English Channel
After evading French security at first light, the migrants piled into dinghies and spent nine hours crossing the English Channel, before they were picked up by British immigration officers this afternoon
Ruthless people smugglers have taken advantage of the warm start to October, with a recent surge in successful crossings reported across Kent in the past week.
But Sky News has reported French security 'stood by and watched' the scenes of chaos unfold from less than 100 yards away instead of intervening.
A group of approximately 10 officers allegedly stood idle as two separate groups of migrants piled onto inflatable boats that took up to 10 minutes to get their engines started.
Home Office blew £6,757 in a month at Domino's in Dover for migrants who had crossed the Channel
The Home Office spent £6,757 in one month on Domino's pizzas to feed migrants arriving in the UK after crossing the Channel from France, figures show.
Hundreds of pizzas were bought from the Dover branch of the fast food chain in July, according to analysis of the government department's spending.
A disclosure log for Home Office procurement card transactions costing more than £500 for the four-week period contained five separate entries from UK Immigration Enforcement for such food orders, totalling £6,757.
The takeaways were provided while migrants were at Tug Haven - a short-term holding facility in Dover where they are first taken from the beach or sea.
The most expensive entry - £1,824 - said: 'This was an urgent need to feed a large number of migrants that had been on the Tug Haven compound in Dover for over 12 hours, and were likely to stay over 24 hours due to issues blocking their movement with resources and the Irc (immigration removal centre) estate.'
An entry for £1,789 said: 'Purchased by Clandestine Operational Response Team (Cort) for use at Tug Haven where we have migrants arriving on small boats. Due to the high number of migrants arriving and the length of time they had not eaten, it was agreed to purchase 200 pizzas.'
It came as more crossings were under way on Friday, with at least six boats arriving at Walmer and St Margaret's in Cliffe, Kent, according to eyewitness reports.
In a later clip, a helicopter flown by French border control flies over the Strait of Dover, watching on as another caravan of migrants makes the treacherous journey.
French officials are said to be investigating patrol efforts on the French border in the wake of the footage, Sky News reports.
Since the start of the year, more than 17,000 migrants have succeeded in reaching the UK - double the figure for the whole of 2020.
Dan O'Mahoney, clandestine channel threat commander for Border Force, said: 'The government is determined to tackle the unacceptable rise in dangerous Channel crossings using every tool at our disposal, at every stage in the journey.
'Working with police and international partners, this year there have been nearly 300 arrests, 65 convictions related to small boat criminality and our targeted efforts have prevented more than 13,500 migrant attempts.
'But this is a complicated issue requiring changes to our laws.
'The Government's New Plan for Immigration provides a long term solution to fix the broken system and deliver the change required to tackle criminal gangs and prevent further loss of life.'
It comes after September was the busiest month on record, with Dover receiving four times the amount of migrants compared to September 2020.
Official statistics showed more than 3,872 have arrived in 113 incidents last month - breaking the 3,509 who made the dangerous journey in 117 boats in July.
And officers have now detained at least 17,228 migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats so far this year, more than double the record number who made the treacherous crossing in all of 2020.
The Home Office has been contacted to provide comment.
In 2020 there were a total of 8,410 were detained in small boat incidents.
Last year, inspectors found that migrants 'almost always' arrived wet and cold and then 'often had to spend hours in the open air or in cramped containers'.
This comes just days after Home Secretary Priti Patel in the Conservative party conference committed to reducing the number of channel crossings.
She said: 'The shocking images of people crammed into flimsy boats, exploited by people smugglers, vile criminals, characterized by ruthlessness and greed who even threatened to drown small children just to line their pockets.
'This can not continue, this is why we are going after the criminals behind this perilous trade of people smuggling.'
The French interior minister is to visit Calais to inspect efforts in the fight against illegal immigration in the Channel - after Sky News filmed dozens of migrants leaving for the UK as armed police stood by and watched.
Gerald Darmanin is expected to talk to police and address France's role in controlling migration as tensions with Britain intensify.
Sky News' footage shows dozens of migrants leaving beaches this week on inflatable boats, and even a canoe - beginning the potentially dangerous journey unchallenged by French police officers.
Image:French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is to visit Calais today to address the migrant crisis
The Home Office has said it will raise Sky News' footage with French counterparts - after the UK signed a £54m deal with France to increase patrols back in July.
It has described the record rise in migrant crossings to the UK over the Channel this year as "unacceptable".
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Home Secretary Priti Patel told the Tory Party Conference this week that France "is a safe country" and she will "turn back the boats".
However more migrants have successfully crossed the Channel on Saturday, with Border Force vessels bringing them to safety in Dover and Dungeness in Kent.
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Image:Border Force officials brought migrants to safety on Saturday
Speaking to Sky News, Jonathan Portes, UK In a Changing Europe economist, said: "I think it's there clearly has been a deterioration in the UK France relationship on this score, as well as in many other on many other fronts, whether that ranges from the submarine deal with Australia through to the issues with French fishermen who complained about being shut out of their historical fishing waters near the Channel Islands.
"It's difficult to know whether this is just one isolated incident or whether this reflects this broader deterioration in UK French relations. Now, to the extent it's the latter, that clearly is very damaging for the UK and for France."
A busy weekend of migrant crossings was anticipated in Dover, Kent, due to the good weather conditions.
"The fog is lifting, the sun is coming out and the waters are incredibly calm at the moment, making that perilous journey that slight bit easier to make," said Sky News reporter Aisha Zahid, reporting from Dover.
"But the calm waters are deceiving, it is still an incredibly treacherous journey down the world's busiest shipping lane. And if people get into trouble while trying to make the crossing, it can escalate into danger very, very quickly."
She continued: "This year has been a record year for migrant crossings - and it is going to be a particular concern for the government.
"Priti Patel gave French authorities £54m over the summer to double patrols but there has been criticism that French authorities aren't doing enough".
How many migrant crossings have there been, how is Priti Patel trying to change UK policy and what is France doing? Samuel Osborne reports
More than 17,000 migrants have successfully reached the UK since the start of the year. That is double the figure for 2020.
More than 25,000 people have risked death crossing the English Channel on board dinghies, kayaks and other small boats since the beginning of last year, according to PA news agency data.
Home Secretary Priti Patel brought forward a new Nationality and Borders Bill in July, which she claims will help cut the number of crossings.
If passed, the bill will increase prison sentences for people entering the UK illegally.
It will also consider whether someone arrived in the UK legally or illegally when potentially granting them asylum.
The home secretary is understood to have asked Border Force to turn away some migrant vessels from British waters towards France.
France has repeatedly refused to intercept or take back migrant boats.
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said the French police are not making any attempt to stop people from crossing the Channel.
He told Sky News: "They are not doing anything to challenge those coming into France at the point of entry. The EU is doing absolutely nothing to stop them from coming in.
Image:Alp Mehmet of Migration Watch UK has criticised the French authorities for not stopping migrants cross the Channel
"They are coming from a safe country [France] and that country is doing absolutely nothing to help them stay in that country."
On Saturday morning, a couple of Border Force vessels made their way out to the Channel. They will focus on getting any migrants they encounter to safety.
French police have come up with a number of reasons as to why they have not intervened with migrant crossings.
Sky News' Europe correspondent Adam Parsons said officers in Sangatte, Calais, told him they felt outnumbered by the migrants, since one boat was carrying around 80 people, while another said it is "more complicated" when children are involved.
Police also said that once a boat has been launched into the water it is subject to maritime law, so they cannot intervene.
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They claim they have been "deceived" by the British government over fishing licence applications and have called on the European Commission to take "retaliatory measures".
The country's Europe minister, Clement Beaune, said the agreement had to be "implemented fully" and - should it not be - then "we will take European or national measures to exert pressure on the UK".
