The likely cause of a fire that shut a Hampshire motorway last weekend has been revealed.

Lithium batteries are believed to be the likely cause of a major fire that caused the M275 in Portsmouth to be closed on July 6 and 7.

A blaze at TJ Waste & Recycling in Tipner Lane involved 117 tonnes of rubbish and caused smoke to billow across the M275 – which sees traffic travel into and out of Portsmouth.

There were also delays on the M27.

Smoke from the fire billowed onto the M275 (Image: Adam Thomson) The road was finally reopened by emergency services at around 5pm on Sunday.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said strong winds had sent smoke billowing across the motorway "severely limiting visibility and posing a hazard to motorists".

The spokesperson added: "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.”