A NINE hour road closure near to one of Hampshire's busiest bottlenecks has finally been lifted.

The A34, near Winchester, is now open in both directions - traffic bosses have announced

It comes after a large articulated lorry toppled on the southbound carriageway near to Winnall roundabout and the entrance to junction nine of the M3.

READ: Road choas after lorry overturns and blocks A34 - causing delays of up to an hour

The 44-ton lorry, containing boxes of metal brackets, overturned at around 6am today, spilling its load across the southbound carriageway.

Police, firefighters and paramedics rushed to the scene, after reports that the male driver was trapped in the vehicle.

Fire crews from Eastleigh, Winchester and Redbridge all attended the incident and extricated the driver.

He was later taken to hospital by South Central Ambulance Service and treated for minor injuries.

Meanwhile, teams worked throughout the day to clear the lorry from the carriageway.

But the clean-up job was complicated by the lorry's load, of metal brackets, which spilled out after it overturned.

Highways England say the road was re-opened at around 3.30pm this afternoon.