A CAR was destroyed and one lane of the A64 was closed for over an hour after the vehicle caught fire.

The incident occurred at 3.05 this afternoon, on the eastbound carriageway near the Hopgrove roundabout, when the driver of a Vauxhall Zafira noticed their engine was smoking.

The motorist pulled over and got out of the car as the engine caught fire, and police and the fire service were called to extinguish the blaze.

Nobody was hurt in the incident, but the car was almost completely burned out.

A Fire Service spokesman said the fire was believed to have been due to a mechanical fault.

One lane of the Eastbound carriageway was closed following the incident until about 4.20pm, to allow police to recover the vehicle.