Why is the wildfire-affected A31 still closed and when will it reopen?

Twelve days ago a wildfire spread through the New Forest after a van burst into flames, causing the closure of a major tourist road.

The A31 near Ringwood is still shut despite hopes it would be back in action on Thursday, and according to National Highways repairs are "more substantial" than originally thought.

We take a closer look at why the route has been out of commission and when it will reopen to the thousands of motorists who use it daily.

The A31, a dual carriageway through the New Forest and a tourist route to Dorset and south-west England, was closed in both directions between Ringwood and Cadnam on Sunday 9 August.

Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service said a vehicle fire had spread into the central reservation before progressing into nearby heathland.

The resulting blaze forced 23 motorists to abandon their vehicles.

Lindsey Legg, who was with her husband and three children, said: "We started seeing people abandoning their cars. Women and children were walking with buggies."

She told the BBC: "Police told us 'you can't go any further'. We realised the fire was going through the field - it was pretty scary.

"We had to abandon the car and cross the central reservation to get away from the side of the fire. We thought the car was going to go up at one point."

The fire caused significant damage to the road surface, crash barrier, and boundary fencing, plus there was an oil spillage from the burnt out vehicle.

By Monday more than 120 firefighters were on the scene, and over the next 11 days a huge operation has taken place to keep the major wildfire at bay.

It eventually covered 400 acres (1.6 sq km), the equivalent of about 230 football pitches.

National Highways decided it was not safe to carry out any emergency repairs to the route, due to the smoke, heat, ash, and the fire's ongoing movement.

The fire service acknowledged the A31 was a "crucial part" to the road network but that its closure was required to help keep everyone safe and ensure its crews and other responders could access the scene.

Early estimations had repairs starting by 14 August at the earliest, though this was later pushed back to 20 August.

As early as the morning of 19 August Nick Adams-King, leader of Hampshire County Council, was still hoping it would reopen late on 20 August, but shortly afterwards this was revised to this coming weekend at the earliest.

Earlier this week recovery driver Kelvin Willis told the BBC he witnessed "destruction as far as the eye can see" from his vantage point on the A31.

"Hundreds of metres of fencing is going to need replacing," he explained.

"Tarmac is scorched and burnt in places so there's a lot of resurfacing work to do."

However, New Forest District Council did manage to clear rubbish from the route.

It was uncovered when vegetation was cut back along the roadside to create safer working conditions and firebreaks.

The litter filled five vans, and was removed by hand due to the risk of equipment causing sparks on the dry ground.

Drivers are facing lengthy delays and long tailbacks through the national park's surrounding roads.

The westbound carriageway was closed between the M27 Junction 2 for Ower and the A338 for Ringwood, and the eastbound carriageway between the A338 and M27 Junction 1 for Cadnam. Diversions are in place.

On 10 August part of the M27 ground to a near halt, with traffic seen queuing for miles on the motorway's westbound carriageway.

The main alternative routes, the A35 and the A338, have seen delays in both directions, with congestion in and around Lyndhurst and Ashurst as traffic was diverted through the villages.

Bournemouth Airport ended up having to issue advice to passengers to allow plenty of extra time for the journey to the airport at Hurn.

Several Forestry England car parks near the fire - which are usually very busy during the school summer holidays - were closed.

The fire also had an effect on the hospitality trade, according to New Forest businesses, with some telling the BBC the impact had been "painful".

The fire service has been reducing the number of crews at the scene this week and the wildfire is no longer being treated as a major incident.

Firefighters have been dampening down the area and checking for hotspots, just to make sure it does not reignite.

They have also been packing up their equipment ahead of handing the A31 back to National Highways.

National Highways says it now expects work to "continue into the weekend".

When the BBC asked spokeswoman Kat Saradinova if this meant reopening the road on Monday she said: "It's hard to say at the moment. We are taking each day as it comes because we are facing challenges every day.

"It is still an active site. [The fire service is] here so we don't want to commit to anything, but we are hoping to open at the weekend."

The resurfacing of the carriageway is now complete and new safety barriers have been installed.

However, the boundary fencing is taking longer than expected as there is more damage than initial assessments identified.

Almost 1,500m (4,921ft) of fencing needs replacing before the road can safely reopen.

The fencing is essential to stop animals from entering the road.

"There is more to do than we expected," Saradinova confirmed.

"The ground conditions aren't great, there is a layer of ash, so it's slower going than we had hoped."

Temporary protection has been put around damaged parapets - the barriers on elevated parts of the route - until the "bespoke parts" are found.

It means the A31 will reopen with a reduced speed limit.

Permanent repairs are expected to be carried out at a later date.