HUNDREDS of drivers were today embroiled in traffic chaos after two lorries crashed on the A34 near Winchester.

The incident at 6.20am blocked the southbound carriageway near Worthy Down, causing long tailbacks.

An articulated lorry carrying eight tons of toys was in collision with a car transporter.

The lorry crashed on to its side, smashed into the central reservation and shed its load of toys across the road.

The two drivers, aged 37 and 59, were believed to have been trapped in the wreckage of their vehicles. Among the first on the scene was an off-duty ambulance man Steve Corney, who helped free one of the drivers.

Both drivers were taken by ambulance to the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester.

The pair suffered minor injuries, one to his hand and the other to his abdomen, said a police spokesman, who added: "They were minor injuries, which is very lucky considering the scale of the accident."

PC Tony Thompson, of Winchester Traffic, said: "It's a serious accident, causing major disruption to people on their way to work."

The Environment Agency was alerted after 350 litres of diesel from the lorry leaked from the engine into drains, raising fears about pollution.

Traffic was diverted away at Bullington Cross, east along the A303 and then south on the M3 at junction eight.

The hundreds of vehicles that were caught in the tailback were being turned around by police and sent back along the A34 to Bullington Cross and the diversion.

Northbound traffic was not directly affected but tailbacks developed as drivers slowed down to look at the wreckage.

The road was expected to be blocked for a large part of the morning.