Coach on fire on A47 at Honingham. Picture by Veronica Hill.

A group of pensioners who were taken off a coach on one of Norfolk’s busiest stretches of road just minutes before it burst into flames have returned home after a stay in Norwich.

As previously reported the holidaymakers from Somerset were staying at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and had been on a day trip when the drama happened on the A47 at Honingham, near Dereham, at about 6pm on Sunday.

The passengers were removed to safety from the coach but the fire quickly spread and the vehicle was burnt out within a few minutes. No-one was hurt but one passenger was treated at the scene for shock.

A spokesman for the UEA said: “After spending last night in UEA accommodation the group returned to Somerset at 9am this morning.”

Billowing smoke could be seen from several miles away.

The A47 was shut in both directions for about an hour and then had to be closed again later in the evening for a recovery lorry to remove the burnt out coach.

Motorists faced long delays and diversions.

The road had re-opened by 9pm.