M275 Tipner Fire: Council apologises after cars stuck at Park & Ride

The M275 was closed from the early hours of yesterday morning (July 6) after huge plumes of smoke spread over the motorway in all directions following a significant blaze at the waste site. The road was reopened before 9am yesterday before being closed again due to the spread of thick, black clouds of smoke. The road remains closed and the police have issued an update this morning (July 7) saying that the closure is likely to be in place for the ‘majority of the day’.

As a result of the road closure, people who had park their car in the Park and Ride car park were unable to get their vehicles. The disruption caused by the fire also resulted in the buses being re-directed due to the close proximity of the blaze.

A spokesperson for the council said: "We apologise for the inconvenience caused yesterday, and we re-routed the buses via Tipner as soon as we could to allow people to get back to their vehicles. The Park & Ride car park will be open today to collect vehicles, but the bus service is suspended due to the police decision to close the M275.

"The bollards have been removed between the Park & Ride and Tipner Lane, so people can reach the site via Tipner whilst the M275 is closed."

A Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary Facebook post said: “We just wanted to update you that the road is likely to remain closed for the majority of today, however we will ensure we update you as soon as it is reopened.

“We know that this will be disruptive to many of you and we do thank you for your patience while our colleagues at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service deal with the ongoing fire. Please continue to make alternative travel arrangements today.”

For more updates about the fire and the road closure, click here.