THREE road workers were injured in a collision on the M3 yesterday. (MON) Police are appealing for information after the motorway maintenance workers were hurt when a lorry collided with two small vans and a flat bed lorry.

It happened at about 3.10pm between junctions 12 and 13 at Eastleigh.

The vans and the flat bed lorry are motorway maintenance vehicles and were stationary on the hard shoulder at the time.

The three men who were working on the hard shoulder and one, a man from Derbyshire aged 54, was seriously hurt. He was taken to Southampton General Hospital by air ambulance which landed on the motorway. The other two, a 41-year-old man from Derbyshire and a 43-year-old Southampton man, went by road ambulance.

The M3 was closed in both directions for a time causing severe tailbacks.

The driver of the articulated lorry was arrested on suspicion of careless driving. A 58-year-old Birmingham man, he was bailed until September 24.

All three lanes of the northbound carriageway were closed until around 4.20pm when lane three was re-opened. Police handed over the scene to the Highways Agency shortly after 10pm. Lanes one and two and the northbound on-slip at junction 13 remained closed overnight.

Sergeant Barry Long from the Whitchurch Roads Policing unit said: “I’d like to thank motorists who were caught up in the delays around Eastleigh and on the motorways as a result of the road closures.

“The decision to close a motorway is never taken lightly and was necessary in this instance to allow the emergency services to get the injured men safely to hospital and investigate the scene.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and I would still like to hear from anyone who witnessed the collision or anyone else with information which could assist us.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Whitchurch Roads Policing unit, quoting Operation Idris, on 101 or 0845 045 45 45 from outside Hampshire.