Drivers have been warned to expect 90 minutes of delays this afternoon following a collision on a road near a major UK airport.
The incident saw a multi-vehicle crash take place on the M27 with a lorry and a van and four other vehicles involved.
It has now caused two lanes of the motorway to shut westbound between J7 in Hedge End and J5 in Southampton near the airport.
Emergency services and Traffic Officers are on the scene with drivers facing delays of more than 45 minutes and four miles of congestion.
Drivers have been warned to expect delays on approach to the area
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
It's believed that the incident took place shortly after midday with no injuries being reported.
Traffic is currently operating at 6mph with normal traffic conditions expected to return between 6:30pm and 6:45pm later today.
Police have confirmed that the vehicles involved in the crash were a VW Crafter, VW Transporter, Vauxhall Corsa and a DAF Trucks Flat lorry.
A driver who was stuck in the traffic earlier shared: "Just took me 55 minutes to drive from Whiteley (junction 9) to get home in bitterne! Should take 15 minutes tops! Went A27 way as M27 is gridlocked heading to junction 7, and there was roadworks on A27 and lots of traffic!! Feel like I need to lay down!!"
NATIONAL HIGHWAYS
Updating drivers, National Highways said it now expects normal traffic conditions to return between 7:15pm and 7:30pm due to the road traffic collision.
The M27 is a major link between Southampton and Portsmouth, with the RAC warning that it can see heavy traffic flowing from both the ferry and cargo ports.
The group suggested that drivers be "mindful of these common accident blackspots along the M27".
Heavy loading vehicles following the M275 from Landport to connect onto the M27 at junction 12 can also cause issues for drivers, they added.
As the M275 is such a short motorway, you don’t get a lot of time to choose your lane to head either east or west along the M27.
The RAC shared: "To avoid any accidents, make sure you know your route and plan ahead.
"There are often reports of accidents along the motorway connecting the M27 to the A27, heading both east and west. Again, this could be because of the congestion caused by traffic.
"The complexity of junction four, along with the heavy M3 traffic flowing from London, can make navigating along on M27 tricky, especially for users not familiar with the route.
"Take extra care here and if you’re branching off to the M3, it’s advised you give yourself plenty of time to get into your lane."
