Costain 'holds-up M27', says council

A row has broken out between Costain and Hampshire County Council over an œ8.3m improvement contract on the M27 near Portsmouth.

The council claims Costain caused a 10-mile traffic jam on the motorway after refusing engineer's instructions to clear its weekend working site before 6am as required under contract.

But a spokesman for Costain said: 'It was a minor delay'.