A major Southampton road has reopened this morning after a diesel spill brought traffic chaos to the city.

Contractors have worked through the night to repair the road at Millbrook Roundabout after the incident yesterday.

Last night drivers faced long delays and were warned to avoid the area.

Emergency work wass carried out on the road over night following the spillage of around 200 litres of diesel.

As reported yeserday by the Daily Echo, the road was shut after a car transporter began leaking fuel near McDonalds.

From 7pm last night, multiple roads closed near the Millbrook roundabout to complete the emergency resurfacing of the road’s surface.

But drivers heading home a suffered due to the slip road off Redbridge Road being closed since early yesterday and the Redbridge Road inbound to Millbrook flyover being reduced to one lane.

The leak was only spotted when Matthew Ravenscroft, who works in maintenance at the Millbrook McDonald's, saw a metal rod sticking out of the lorry's fuel tank.

The vehicle was driving from Redbridge Road to the Millbrook roundabout, on its way to the docks just before 8am, with the driver unaware he was leaking diesel.

Mr Ravenscroft, 29, from Millbrook, said: “I thought he was going to the docks and that this would cause an accident - I thought I have got to stop him.

“I ran across into the lanes of traffic right in front of the lorry to stop him.

“I made a sign out of cardboard which said petrol on it and an arrow pointing to the road and stood next to the road to slow cars down because they were really speeding down there.

“There was loads of fuel spilling out and the smell was really strong.”

The metal rod around a foot in length had flicked up into the fuel tank, puncturing it and causing between 200 and 300 litres of diesel to spill out onto the road.

Police and fire crews from Redbridge and Romsey attend the scene as did the Environment Agency and Southern Water.

Pawel Gargula, 45, from Poland, who was driving the truck, said: “I looked out and saw the problem and got out of my truck and saw a piece of metal going into the tank. 

“I had not noticed it was leaking diesel until I stopped at the traffic lights.”

Police cordoned off the sliproad causing major delays on the surrounding roads and industrial spillage absorbers were spread out on the affected area.

Road workers in Bitterne were diverted to the roundabout to begin emergency repairs as the chemical reaction between the diesel and the road meant it had to be resurfaced.

The inner lane of the roundabout and the section under the flyover approaching Wimpson Lane was set to be closed from 7pm and was due to be opened again at 6am today.

But drivers in rush hour traffic experienced a miserable journey home as heavy congestion built up around the Redbridge flyover, Millbrook roundabout and the M271 and A35.

Inspector Kirsty Shannon, from Hampshire Police, said: "The road needs to be closed due to the diesel reacting with the surface of the road and breaking it up and it needs to be resurfaced.

"I would like to thank everyone for their patience - the time scale for this is beyond our control and safety is our top priority."

A spokesman from Southampton City Council said last night: "For safety reasons and in accordance with the highway code of practice we have had to close lanes on Redbridge Flyover and on

Redbridge Road inbound on to Millbrook Road West. 

"This is causing delays on the M271 and out to Totton, and we expect this to continue through the rush hour."

Some of the diesel seeped into a nearby drain and Southern Water had to rush to contain the fuel before it contaminated a nearby creek.

They managed to intercept the diesel before it reached the creek and sucked it out from the drain. 

The Environment Agency assisted with the clean up and said the damage to the environment had been minimal.