Trains, planes and cars were diverted away from a burning gas tanker on the hard shoulder of the M56 near Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, on Monday, amid fears it could explode..

The motorway was closed in both directions between junctions 12 and 15 and a 1,500m cordon set up around the propane-filled tanker after it burst into flames at about 3pm. Motorists were evacuated from their vehicles and taken to a safe distance.

Most restrictions were lifted by 8.30pm but traffic was congested throughout north Cheshire and many drivers remained stuck in long tailbacks.

Five fire engines were sent to tackle the fire, two from Ellesmere Port, one from Chester, one from Runcorn and one from Frodsham, said the fire service. Firefighters initially stood back while a police helicopter equipped with a thermal imaging camera assessed the heat of the tanker and the likelihood its payload could detonate.

It was only after several hours that crews, assisted by gas safety experts, were able to inch closer to the tanker and spray water in an effort to bring down its temperature. Firefighters then used breathing apparatus to get close enough to tackle the blaze, despite the continuing risk of an explosion.

The risk posed by an explosion was considered so great that trains were stopped on both the Manchester to Chester and the Ellesmere Port to Helsby lines and air traffic controllers were asked to ensure no planes passed over the area.

Motorists were also advised to avoid the area while crews dealt with the incident. Police were asking residents in the Helsby, Hapsford and Elton areas to stay indoors with their windows and doors closed.

The fire was close to Stanlow oil refinery, the UK’s second biggest refinery, which provides nearly a sixth of the country’s petrol needs.

The tanker was understood to have pulled over to the hard shoulder as the incident began and there were no reports of anyone injured.

Stretches of the motorway blocked by the incident became gridlocked, with traffic backing up on the motorway and roads network as far as Liverpool and Chester.

Photographs posted on Twitter showed motorists on the motorway leaving their sweltering cars to sunbathe outside their vehicles. There were pictures of motorists kicking a ball around on the opposite side of the carriageway empty of traffic.