AN AIR safety scare brought motorway chaos across Hampshire this morning when a plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

Police closed the M27 in both directions after a plane flying from Southampton Airport to Dublin was forced to turn back when the captain spotted a warning light in the cockpit.

Drivers were stopped from travelling westbound or eastbound about junction five near Eastleigh as the jet circled overhead and then made a safe return to the ground.

There were 23 passengers and four crew members on board the plane, which took off at 7.13am.

Emergency services received a message at 7.53am and sped to the airport waiting for the Embraer 145, which was expected to land five minutes later.

An airport spokesman said: "The aircraft landed safely at 8.12am. There were no casualties. No one was traumatised."

Hampshire police stopped traffic on the nearby M27 for 12 minutes at about 8am as a precaution.

The eastbound lanes were shut while westbound vehicles were held up by a rolling roadblock.

A police spokesman said traffic began moving again after the safe landing was completed.

Passengers returned to the departure lounge where they were given refreshments before being switched to a different aircraft - another Embraer 145 - and were due to depart at 10.40am.

Meanwhile, engineers were checking the fault in the original plane at the centre of the emergency.