You might have noticed, had you been travelling in the direction of Lyndhurst on Wednesday or Thursday, that there were issues with the A337 Cadnam to Lyndhurst Road.
The road had to be closed after a horse box caught fire, melting the road surface and spilling diesel across the road. I'm really pleased to say that the occupants of the horse box, both human and equine, escaped without harm.
Hampshire Highways pulled out all the stops to repair and reopen this vitally important main road through the New Forest - all within 48 hours of a serious vehicle fire.
The incident occurred early in the morning on Wednesday 12 October on the A337 between Cadnam and Lyndhurst. Highways officers were immediately at the scene to start assessing the extent of the significant heat damage and to make arrangements for an urgent repair.
The team worked through the night Thursday into Friday using specialist equipment to lay a brand-new surface on a 30 metre section and the road was fully re-opened at 2:30 am on Friday 14 October.
This was another extraordinary effort by Hampshire Highways to get an important main road reopened, while ensuring the travelling public remained safe.
The team pulled out all the stops to get things back to normal as soon as possible and I am very grateful to all those involved. Major work was needed to repair this section of road after the horsebox fire. The intensity of the fire, as well as spilled oil and diesel caused very significant damage to an extensive stretch of the road.