Motorists delayed by 25 tons of melting Lion bars on A2 in Kent after lorry fire

Twenty-five tons of melting Lion chocolate bars sparked severe delays for motorists on Thursday morning.

London-bound drivers on the A2 in Kent suffered long waits after a lorry carrying the cargo burst into flames near the junction for the Bluewater shopping centre.

Three of the road’s four lanes were shut, blocking a key route from the port of Dover to the capital.

The A2 was fully reopened at 2.25pm after fire crews worked with Kent Highways to put out the blaze and remove the chocolate load, which had melted onto the tarmac.

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There were no reports of injuries and the cause of the fire was unknown.

A Kent Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said crews removed the sides and roof of the vehicle before manually removing the contents of the trailer, "believed to be approximately 25 tons of chocolate".

Kent Highways later released pictures revealing sodden boxes of Lion bars scattered across the road from the burnt-out lorry.

One Twitter user caught up in the delays posted: "As far as I can see, everyone (myself included) is mourning the loss of the truck’s cargo of Lion bars!"

Another user wrote: "Damn. Lion Bars are hard to find at the best of times. I wonder whether they need help with the cleanup…"

One Twitter user expressed relief that "they were only Lion Bars" and "no real chocolate was harmed" in the "gooey" incident.

Congestion in the area was made worse following a crash between the junctions for Gravesend west and Gravesend central.

Two people sustained minor injuries in the collision involving a car and a motorcycle.

(c) Sky News 2017: Motorists delayed by 25 tons of melting Lion bars on A2 in Kent after lorry fire