AFTER being closed since the early hours of this morning the A34 has now fully reopened with Highways England confirming damage from a diesel spill on the Western bypass northbound has been repaired.

The agency tweeted an hour ago the stretch had been resurfaced but it was waiting for the 'tarmac to cool'.

Earlier, the road was shut both ways following a three vehicle incident, between the A44 Woodstock Road (Peartree Interchange) and M40 J9/A41 (Bicester). 

Oxford Mail:

A lorry jackknifed across both lanes, spilling 500 litres of diesel across the road, the Highways England said.

The closure caused massive delays during Friday morning's rush hour.

Earlier, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue said resurfacing work, made necessary by the spill, would mean the road would be shut for a 'significant portion' of Friday.

The service added that two fire appliances were mobilised and that an HGV that had crossed from the southbound onto the northbound carriageways.

In a statement, it said: "Upon arrival the crews found that the A34 was completely blocked in both directions, with the lorry sitting across three of the four lanes, with a car adjacent to it. All of the occupants of these vehicles were out and unhurt.

"A further car had left the carriageway and come to rest down in a ditch within the treeline on the Southbound side. Crews used saws to cut back the foliage to enable them to reach the car so that an assessment could be made on the condition of the single occupant. They then worked with colleagues from South Central Ambulance Service to build a platform across the ditch so that the driver could be extricated."

#A34 CLOSURE .. recovery and potential resurfacing overnight. road remaining closed near #Oxford... From A44 Peartree to M40 J9 both ways... diversion routes here: https://t.co/YMAODl0DcM ... thankfully no serious injuries. pic.twitter.com/Y8U2a1PwJF

The southbound carriageway reopened at around 4.30am.

Congestion in the surrounding area is increasing, with heavy traffic on the A34 all the way from Kennington to Wendlebury. 

Traffic on the southern and eastern bypasses is also heavy. 

One social media user said part of the road was already at a 'standstill' earlier this morning. 

Incident commander, Station Manager Steve Johns, added: “this incident showed the excellent partnership working between the three emergency services, with the scene having a number of significant tasks for those attending, spread over a considerable distance.

"As a result of the collision the HGV’s diesel tank had been ruptured, emptying its contents across all four lanes of the A34, so whilst part of the crew were working to release the trapped car driver from the treeline, the other half were trying to soak up the diesel from the road surface”.

The lorry has since been recovered and the barriers repaired.

There is a diversion in place, with northbound traffic to follow solid diamond, onto the A423 eastbound, then the A4142, continuing eastbound before merging onto the A40 to travel south to the M40 J8A.

However there are reports of a broken down bus causing further delays on the diverted route. 

Reports first emerged of the incident late last night.