THERE were serious traffic jams south of Winchester after a six-vehicle collision blocked the M3.

It happened on the northbound carriageway between junction 12 at Otterbourne and junction 12 at Eastleigh.

It occurred at 6.50am today (Tuesday, October 6) and blocked two of the three lanes. The other was also closed briefly while the damaged vehicles were removed.

The cars included a Peugeot 106, a Fiat estate, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagen Polo and a Volvo V40.

A BMW 3-series was also involved, and firefighters had to cut one person out of the wreckage. However, there were no reports of any serious injuries at the scene.

The road reopened fully at 8.45am, by which time the traffic was queuing back several miles to the M27 at Totton and Whiteley.

Jams were also reported in Eastleigh, Chandler’s Ford, Hiltingbury, and northern Southampton.