A BROKEN-down lorry has caused severe delays on a Hampshire motorway after a fire scare.

Smoke was pouring from the truck as it pulled over on the M27 eastbound carriageway close to Rownhams Services shortly before 11am.

Firefighters and police rushed to the scene to find a small oil leak but no fire.

Tailbacks initially stretched back towards junction 3 for Southampton. The Highways Agency has now told drivers to expect delays of up to ten minutes.

The smoke came from a blown turbo on the lorry, according to Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service.

A spokesman said: "We sent two pumps to the scene, one from Hightown and the other from Eastleigh. We contained the small amount of oil that had leaked and handed the incident over to the Highways Agency. It was clear at that point that there was no fire.”

The lorry has been moved to the hard shoulder but the incident is causing severe delays with traffic stretching back towards junction 3 for Southampton.

A Highways Agency spokesman said: "The lane will be reopened as soon as the spill is treated and we are happy that it is safe to re-open the lane.”