A broken down lorry carrying a historic steam train brought traffic chaos to a Hampshire market town today.

The low loader was carrying an engine from the Watercress Line on the way to a railway in Peterborough.

It edged out of Alresford station and down Station Road before turning into West Street, where it stalled.

A spokesman for the railway said today: “The low loader has broken down. Hopefully it will be fixed sooner rather than later.”

The breakdown caused localised traffic delays.

Charters Estate Agents on West Street had the engine stuck outside all day. It got moving again at about 3.20pm.

Tim Griffin, spokesman for Charters, said: “It has caused mayhem but mayhem with a smile. If it had been a lorry people would have complained.

“We had a laugh. We joked that the new company car had arrived.”

Another engine was taken by road to a steam railway in Swanage yesterday without mishap.