A COACH suddenly billowed large amounts of smoke on the M6 in Cheshire.

All the passengers escaped safely and no-one was hurt.

The alarm was raised shortly after 9am this morning, Sunday, when a single decker coach broke down.

Emergency crews were called to the exit slip road of the southbound carriageway at junction 18 near Middlewich.

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Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus used a hose reel jet and monitored the engine compartment of the coach with a thermal imaging camera.

A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “There were no injuries reported and everyone on the affected coach was transferred to a second one.

Three fire engines from Winsford, Lymm and Altrincham attended the incident.”