Major road closed overnight after lorry fire

A major road will be closed overnight for repair and resurfacing works after a crash and a lorry fire in the early hours of Saturday.

The A34 will be fully closed between its junctions with the A420 at Botley and A423 at Hinksey, Oxford, according to National Highways.

The government agency said it was working to recover the lorry.

A diversion was in place but drivers have been advised to seek alternative routes or delay their journeys.

The incident happened just before 02:00 BST on the northbound carriageway but both sides of the road were damaged, National Highways said.

Thames Valley Police said the driver of the lorry sustained minor injuries and nobody else was hurt.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also advised people to avoid the area.

Drivers travelling southbound were told to follow the diversion from Botley interchange to the A34 Milton interchange, mainly using the A420 and A338 west of the A34.

Drivers heading north should follow the diversion in place from Hinksey Hill interchange to the A34 Peartree interchange, mainly using the A40 and A44 east and north of the city centre.

One lane on the southbound carriageway had reopened by 15:00 on Saturday but both carriageways were due to close again for the work overnight.

In a statement, National Highways said the repairs "could take until late Sunday morning to complete" and that its contractors were "working hard to reopen the A34 as soon as it is safe to do so".

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