MOTORISTS travelling on a main road through the Forest last Friday afternoon (December 29) were forced to turn back as a Land Rover went up in flames.

Emergency services including police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the scene at the side of Speech House Road near the Forest of Dean Crematorium at shortly after midday.

One passer by, Jennifer Lang, who sent us a photo of the car on fire (below), reported seeing plumes of black smoke and hearing loud explosions emanating from the vehicle.

The photo shows that the flames initially reached as high as branches on the trees above, with the car having stopped on a grass verge.

Members of the public initially stopped to warn other motorists before the police arrived and closed the road, with traffic having to turn around and find another route in and out of Cinderford.

Video footage posted by a follower of The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley Review, Rachael Jackson, in the Facebook comments section of a piece about the incident showed a fire crew working to extinguish the blaze while explosions continued and sparks flew from the engine.

Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service (GFRS) told us the car, a Land Rover Discovery, “was 100 per cent damaged”, though thankfully no one was injured and no other vehicles were involved.

No detail has been given as to the cause of the fire.

A GFRS spokesperson said two fire engines were sent to the scene, both from Coleford.

The crews used one jet and two sets of breathing apparatus to put out the fire.

Having received the call at 12.24pm, the fire was extinguished within the hour, with a stop time of 1.21pm.

After the road reopened, passers by commented on social media the car was left “completely burnt out” at the side of the road.

A statement from Gloucestershire Police this week said: “Emergency services were called to a report of a car fire on the B4226 in Cinderford shortly before 12.30pm on Friday 29 December. 

“Nobody was believed to be injured and it is not being treated as suspicious.”