Sam said the A31 reopening still had not happened after being shut on 9 August because of the New Forest wildfire, and the delay left them stuck in traffic at Linwood. The closure kept the road shut while drivers were still being pushed onto routes that could not handle the volume.
"Horrendous. Constant diversions. We've literally been on the road for four hours now," Sam said while traveling from Weymouth in Dorset to London. Clive was with them in the traffic jam.
At Linwood, Erik Yngvesson said the small road through the hamlet quickly filled when drivers tried to avoid the closed A31. "In the beginning, it was horrific with people trying to use this tiny little road instead of the A31," he said. "All that traffic on that tiny road - it was just a gridlock from start to finish."
Linwood and the A31
Hampshire County Council urged motorists to ignore navigation apps that had sometimes been directing users onto roads unsuitable for heavy traffic. People in Linwood said the single lane road through their hamlet became gridlocked, and residents feared the congestion could stop emergency services from getting access.
The fire that led to the closure grew to about 230 football pitches after starting in a van, and the shut road was linked to the New Forest wildfire near Bratley Wood. Linwood is about two miles from the fire.
Ringwood to Lyndhurst
Hampshire County Council, Forestry England and the fire service repeatedly warned people not to breach the road closures. Their warnings said crossing the closures could be dangerous to people and the New Forest's free-roaming animals.
Ringwood, Fordingbridge, Salisbury and Lyndhurst have all seen slow-moving traffic for more than eight days. That left drivers dealing with long delays across the area while the A31 remained shut.
New Forest wildfire closures
The practical advice for drivers is straightforward: stay off the closed routes and do not follow apps that send traffic onto narrow roads near Linwood. The one question left for road users is when the A31 reopening will actually happen.
