A car which caught fire early this morning on the Marsa-Hamrun by-pass led to heavy traffic in the area, effectively blocking transport from the north to the south of Malta.

A statement on the CPD Facebook page said that its firefighters were deployed to control the blaze.

Due to the amount of fuel and oil that was dispersed on the surface of the road, the carriageway was for a time closed to traffic.

Transport Malta said that the road will be reopened once it is safe.