A car fire caused the closure of the A31 for around two and a half hours on the evening of August 6.

The road was shut at the roundabout junction with the A32 while firefighters dealt with the blaze.

The remains of the car were taken away by a recovery truck at about 9pm. Nobody was hurt.

A spokesperson for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said: “An on-call crew from Alton were alerted to a car fire near the roundabout on Northfield Lane in Chawton shortly before 7pm.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire, which destroyed the vehicle, using a hose reel before clearing up a fuel spillage. They left the scene at around 7.30pm.”

Car fire, A31-A32 junction, Chawton, August 6th 2025.
Smoke rises behind a fire engine dealing with the car blaze (Photo: Timothy Brant-Coles). (Timothy Brant-Coles)