Large lorry fire on the M3 in Hampshire with traffic at a standstill

Traffic officers and firefighters rushed to the scene on the M3 eastbound earlier this morning (January 14). The incident happened between junction 4 for Farnborough and junction 3 for Woking.

Initial delays of at least an hour hit commuters during rush hour. The entire eastbound route had to be closed to allow firefighters to deal with the blaze.

Smoke could be seen filling the sky. A diversion route has to be put in place during the partial reopening. Traffic was released on the M3 past lane four amid visibility concerns.

National Highways South East said: “We're in the process of turning traffic and releasing it via J4. This can be a slow process due to the volume of traffic. Thank you in advance for your patience.”