Overnight road closures for further wildfire repairs

A dual carriageway that was closed for nearly two weeks due to a wildfire is to shut overnight for further repair work over two weeks.

A major incident was declared after a van fire on the A31 in the New Forest near Ringwood, Hampshire, on 9 August went on to destroy about 0.6 sq miles (1.6 sq km) of heathland.

The road reopened on 22 August but overnight closures will be put in place until 11 September for work to replace the safety barrier along both carriageways and remove any further trees damaged by the fire.

During the overnight closures - between 21:00 and 06:00 - the westbound carriageway at Stoney Cross will also be resurfaced.

The A31 will be closed between M27 junction 2 and Ringwood.

Eastbound traffic is being diverted via Fordingbridge and Salisbury while westbound traffic faces a detour via Lyndhurst and Christchurch.

Before the road reopened, work was carried out to replace 2,624ft (800m) of safety barriers and 4,921ft (1,500m) of boundary fencing.

Temporary speed limits will remain in place when the road is open during the day.

National Highways previously described the repair work as "substantial and the conditions challenging".

Damaged fencing had to be replaced to stop animals getting on to the A31 before the road could be safely reopened.

The closure of the A31, the main route between Bournemouth and Southampton, caused severe congestion as traffic was diverted through New Forest villages and businesses and tourist attractions reported drops in income.