A LOUD screeching noise followed by screams could be heard this morning when a lorry crash turned into a blazing inferno.Passers-by battled to help a lorry driver from the burning wreckage of his vehicle following the crash shortly after 5am on the A14 near Sproughton.

A LOUD screeching noise followed by screams could be heard this morning when a lorry crash turned into a blazing inferno.

Passers-by battled to help a lorry driver from the burning wreckage of his vehicle following the crash shortly after 5am on the A14 near Sproughton.

The driver of the burning lorry managed to escape and was taken to Ipswich Hospital with serious injuries but it is thought he will survive.

Another man had to be treated for minor burns, and two others treated for smoke inhalation, after they tried to help at the scene.

The chaos began at 5.19am when a Vauxhall Corsa collided with a lorry on the A14 near Sproughton, on the Felixstowe-bound carriageway.

Within a minute the second, more serious, accident occurred when the driver of a lorry on the opposite side slowed down to see if he could help and was involved in an accident with an articulated lorry.

The articulated lorry, which was left overturned and facing the wrong direction, caught fire and 25 firefighters battled with the blaze for more than an hour.

Andrew Woods, of Bramford Road, was woken by the incident.

He said: "I live 100 yards from the crash and heard a long screeching noise and then a huge explosion.

"At first I thought a train had derailed. Then I heard shouting and screaming and saw a vehicle on fire."

Sarah Cotton, 17, a haulage assistant, of Bramford Road, said: "I was woken up about 5am. There was a massive bang – like a massive firework. I thought someone was mucking around on the railway."

Petrina Lane, mother-of-two, neighbour, said: "There were lots of people standing outside in their dressing gowns. I didn't hear it but my partner woke me up and said 'Oh, my God. What was that?' We looked out the window and we could see thick black smoke coming from the bridge and flames about 20ft high."

Both sides of the A14 were closed to clear up the scene causing extreme chaos during morning rush hour traffic.

A spokeswoman from the fire service said: "We had lots of calls from the public when it happened because there was lots of smoke.

"It will take a long time to clear up and I am sure it would have brought chaos to the morning traffic."