TWO young brothers and a woman died after separate horrific accidents in the Basingstoke area.

The first fatal crash took place just before 6pm on Sunday on the A339 when a blue Audi A3 car carrying three people overturned near Pitt Hall Farm, Ramsdell.

Two young brothers were pronounced dead at the scene. Hampshire police have named the boys as 11-year-old Kieron Jones and nine-year-old Milo Jones of Arthur Road, Farnham, Surrey.

Firefighters from Basingstoke and Kingsclere stations cut the boys' 44-year-old father - whose name has not been released - free from the wreckage and he was taken to Basingstoke hospital with whiplash injuries, bruising and shock.

A Hampshire police spokeswoman said the Audi was travelling south from Kingsclere towards Basingstoke when it left the road and rolled onto its roof. No other cars were involved.

An inquest into the boys' deaths was opened and adjourned on Monday after their bodies were formally identified.

A female driver suffered fatal injuries in a six-vehicle pile-up on the M3 at around 8.25am on Monday.

Five cars and a lorry were involved in the accident, which occurred about half-a-mile before junction six at Basingstoke on the southbound carriageway.

The vehicles involved in the pile-up included a silver Ford Iveco lorry, a green Peugeot 206, a blue Audi estate car, a black Volkswagen Golf, a blue Mercedes and a blue BMW.

Inspector Duncan Weston, of Farnborough roads policing unit, said the lorry was involved in a collision with the Peugeot, which was at the back of a queue of vehicles, resulting in a "multiple-vehicle shunt". He added that the female Peugeot driver was pronounced dead at the scene.

Formal identification of the crash victim had not been made when The Basingstoke Extra went to press on Tuesday, but the police believe she is a 24-year-old woman from Aldershot.

A 33-year-old man from Surrey, who was in one of the other vehicles, was taken to Basingstoke hospital with broken bones.

A 30-year-old man from Buckinghamshire, who was driving the lorry, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He was later bailed pending further enquiries.

Motorists faced long tailbacks and traffic chaos on surrounding roads as the M3 southbound carriageway was closed between junctions five and six until 4.30pm for officers to examine the crash scene.

Anyone who witnessed either of the accidents, or who has information which might help the investigations, should contact Farnborough roads policing unit on 0845 0454545.