A CRASH involving three vehicles has left a stretch of a dual carriageway near Basingstoke closed.

The southbound stretch of the A34, between Highclere and the A303 junction at Bullington Cross, was fully closed this morning (Wednesday) following the incident.

Emergency services and traffic officers have been at the scene since the early hours of this morning.

Police say the incident, which involved a car, a lorry and a recovery truck, took place at around 3.20am.

No injuries were reported but due to the nature of the vehicles specialist recovery had to be called, requiring the closure of the carriageway.

Delays of over 40 minutes have been reported, with queues of four miles back to Donnington.

A diversion has been set up via the A343 and A3093.

Heavy congestion has been reported on the diverted route, with average speeds of just 10mph.