A busy residential road was shut off after a crash and an incident involving men armed with machetes.

Athelstan Road was closed off last night following the collision at just before 10pm, which involved a VW Estate and a Dodge Journey at the junction with Garfield Road.

The VW Estate then drove off, shortly before a third car pulled up, according to a police report.

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Three men reportedly then got out of this car holding what were described to police as machetes and went off towards Bitterne Road West.

Police arrived shortly after, and found a 'significant amount of cash and suspected Class A drugs inside one of the vehicles involved in the collision', a spokesman said.

Three people suffered minor injuries.

Hampshire fire service confirmed it was helping police and paramedics at the scene.

A spokesperson for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service said: “A crew from St Mary’s were alerted to a two-vehicle RTC on Athelstan Road at around 10.00pm last night.

“Nobody was trapped with firefighters making the scene safe and assisting SCAS paramedics with casualty handling.

“HIWFRS left the scene and returned to station shortly before 11pm.”

The city council confirmed, through another update on X, that the road was reopened at around 1am today.

Police have since launched an investigation into what happened.

A spokesman said: “An investigation into the circumstances of the incident is underway and officers are carrying out enquiries in the area today.”