Lithium batteries likely cause of fire that shut motorway

Smoke was seen billowing across the carriageway on Saturday

Lithium batteries are thought to be the "most probable cause" of a major fire that caused a motorway to be closed for most of the weekend.

The M275 into and out of Portsmouth was shut in both directions on Saturday morning as a result of "thick, black smoke" from the blaze at TJ Waste & Recycling in Tipner Lane.

The road was also shut for most of Sunday but reopened at about 17:00 BST.

The fire involved 117 tonnes of rubbish and firefighters "laboured tirelessly" to tackle it, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said.

Smoke from the fire was visible from Gosport Marina

A spokesperson said strong winds had sent "dense" smoke billowing across the motorway, "severely limiting visibility and posing a hazard to motorists".

"We recognise that the necessary temporary road closures caused inconvenience for many people over the weekend and we thank people for their patience while we dealt with this challenging incident," they added.