CHRISTMAS presents were among more than two thousand parcels destroyed when a La Poste lorry went on fire on the RN10 north of Bordeaux.
The lorry had just left the sorting depot in the Bordeaux suburb of Bègles at 5.00 yesterday when the driver spotted flames coming from the trailer when she was on the road near Jurignac in Charente.
She pulled in to the side of the road and managed to get the tractor unit unhooked before the flames spread through the trailer. The driver, 51, was unhurt but could only look on after calling for fire-fighters.
La Poste officials said 2,380 parcels were destroyed in the blaze. Many burned Christmas presents were found in the debris.
They had been sent by businesses and residents in Aquitaine and Poitou-Charentes and the lorry had been headed for Bar-le-Duc, in Meuse, for distribution in Lorraine, Champagne-Ardennes, Bourgogne, Haute-Saône and Doubs
The accident caused a seven kilometre traffic jam on the RN10 yesterday morning but gendarmes managed to get traffic moving again by mid-morning.
People who fear their parcels were lost in the blaze should get in touch with their post office or through the La Poste claims number 3631 to get information and possible compensation.
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