MOTORISTS and business chiefs are being urged to help shape future disaster response plans for major crashes on Hampshire's roads.

Motoring giant the AA has issued a rallying call urging people to have their say on how local authorities and emergency services can coordinate the aftermath of crashes to prevent the network from regularly grinding to a halt.

Their call comes just 24 hours after part of Hampshire's road network became paralysed once again following a multi-vehicle crash that claimed the life of one person.

As emergency services dealt with the carnage, jams began to form as far as Curdridge, Titchfield and Hedge End where even the Marks and Spencer retail park found itself with queing cars attempting to find a way round the chaos.

While business leaders were quick to point to the fact that no price could possibly be put on a life, they said delays on such a scale would have cost the local economy thousands of pounds in lost hours and business.

Yesterday's fireball horror close to the Segensworth exit on the M27 was the latest in a series of crashes on the motorway - and came less than 24 hours after a lorry overturned near junction four causing more misery for motorists on Wednesday.

Daily Echo:

Drivers caught up in the queues close to the scene found themselves trapped on the tarmac with little access to food, water and toilets until police were forced to cut through the barriers to release traffic onto the westbound carriageway.

The delays caused major disruption to businesses in the area including hauliers and taxi drivers and created thousands of pounds of lost revenue for the economy.

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said that while he sympathised with the dead motorist's family and stressed the importance of police conducting thorough investigations - he urged drivers to challenge traffic authorities to ensure diversionary routes run more smoothly.

Daily Echo:

He pointed to the forthcoming General Election as the perfect time to ensure voices were heard.

He said: “It is always a tragedy when someone gets killed on road.

“Thankfully incidents are rare bearing in mind the volumes of traffic.

“But they are arterial roads that are key for business and commuting.

“When major problems do occur more needs to be done by people and businesses to register the impact on their lives.

“The way to do it is through MPs who can contact the relevant authorities.

“This is an election year and if you put it to your MP they will need to champion improvements and road safety.”

He said traffic chiefs often needed to understand the full nature of the crashes before enforcing diversions, but that authorities regularly reviewed and monitored major incidents to determine improvements.

He also recommended that people plan alternative routes beforehand which can easily be accommodated by satnavs and monitoring local media.

He added: “People should perhaps think of their own contingency routes when certain stretches of motorway are problematic so they have an alternative way to get to and from where they are going.”

Following the crash the Highways Agency and Hampshire County Council set a diversion in place via the A27.

Council transport executive Sean Woodward, pictured below, said this included clearing roadworks and issuing travel information to local media.

Daily Echo: Councillor Sean Woodward

He said: “The diversion is a way of avoiding the motorway but when those roads are taking a vast volume of traffic it's going to run slowly.

“It shows how the motorway is in carrying millions of vehicles.”

Meanwhile Hampshire Constabulary said officers had worked as swiftly as possible to cut the barriers to release traffic.

Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley, of the Roads Policing Unit, who coordinated the operation said: "In any situation like this where someone has tragically died in a collision we have a duty to conduct a thorough forensic examination of the scene. The more vehicles involved, the more complex that is, and the more time it will take to complete this vital work.

Massive thanks to those of you stuck in the tailbacks for your patience and understanding during what must be a frustrating time."