HAMPSHIRE police have issued a "stay off the roads" message to motorists in light of continued bad weather.

It is anticipated that the snowfalls will be lighter than those experienced yesterday, but driving conditions are expected to remain poor.

The A3 has been closed in both directions at Hindhead by Surrey Police, as a result Hampshire police are turning around motorists at Ham Barn and sending them back south.

There is significant traffic congestion in the Hindhead area as a result. Motorists are advised they should not travel north in this area as they will not get further than Ham Barn.

If you are currently planning your journey to London, you are advised that the M3 is still passable, but police are advising drivers to take plenty of extra time and avoid the journey if at all possible.

The A34/A303 corridor is experiencing heavy snowfall and motorists are advised to avoid this area.

The A3M remains a problem route this morning. The road is closed northbound and running slowly southbound, with conditions passable but poor.

On the A3, traffic is still moving slowly southbound.

Motorists who normally use the A3M and A3 are advised not to use usual alternative routes on minor roads as they may be equally as hazardous and in many cases impassable. The best course of action is to stay at home until conditions improve.

The police control room has been inundated overnight with calls. From 5pm yesterday to 6.30am today controllers received 1,331 '999' calls. On a normal night duty, police said they would to expect no more than a few hundred.

Most of these related to the snow. One person died in a road traffic collision in Titchfield shortly before 7pm last night. The elderly male driver was pronounced dead at the scene, and at this stage officers believed he died as a result of a medical condition.