DRIVERS on the M3 faced an evening of travel misery yesterday after snow caused chaos.

The Hampshire motorway was brought to a standstill north of Winchester with motorists being urged to avoid the area.

The snow has caused almost impassable conditions on the carriageways between Winchester services and Hook, with lorries jack-knifing and police working until the early hours of this morning to clear stuck cars.

Snow in Hampshire:

#M3 - Traffic is reported to be stationary between M3 Winchester Services and J5 #Hook. Avoid travel if possible.

Highways England South East operations manager Robert Bell said: "We have every sympathy for drivers who found themselves stranded in the severe weather.

"Safety is our top priority and our teams of gritters and snow ploughs, supported by our traffic officers, worked through the night to keep the roads treated.

"On the M3, three HGVs came to a halt, blocking the carriageway and stopping traffic. We worked hard with police partners to get the traffic moving as soon as possible in the challenging conditions."

Highways England said 14 gritters fitted with snow ploughs worked to clear the M3 between junctions five and eight - with all traffic cleared by 1.30am.

By contrast, drivers in Southern parts of the county faced easier journeys. Warnings for ice are still in place this morning.