A WITNESS appeal has been launched after a police officer was involved in a collision with a car on the A3 near Petersfield.

The incident began just after 9am last Sunday and took place on the northbound carriageway just before the Buriton junction, at a time when there was heavy wind and rain in the area.

A police spokesman said: "A silver BMW and a silver Vauxhall Corsa were involved in separate single vehicle collisions there."

The BMW ended up on its side across the carriageway, while the Corsa came to rest facing south towards Portsmouth.

The spokesman added: "Shortly afterwards, a red Kia Picanto was in collision with a 44-year-old police officer, and he sustained a serious but not life-threatening leg injury and was taken to hospital.

"Three other people sustained minor injuries."

A motorist leaving Petersfield for Portsmouth via the Buriton sliproad about an hour later said: "One car was on its side, another was facing the wrong way, and both looked pretty battered, and a red car was on the road side.

"A fluorescent yellow foil ’space blanket’ had been rigged up between saplings on the road side, and it looked as though it was being used to keep the rain off a temporary first aid post.

"At the time traffic heading south was flowing, but traffic going north was queued well past the entrance to Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

"Coming back about 2.30pm, the information boards as far back as Portsmouth were saying the A3 was closed.

"We followed a stream of traffic to Clanfield then toward East Meon, but we went down the Ramsdean Road back to the Buriton sliproad at Weston, which was hardly moving."

The police spokesman added: "The carriageway was closed until around 4pm while investigations took place."

Anyone with information or dash cam footage of any of the three incidents is asked to contact police on 101, quoting 44190075607.