A 17-year-old boy has been charged with arson and causing danger to road users after a “potentially hazardous material” sparked a full closure of the M3 motorway.
Thousands of motorists were left stranded when the mysterious package was discovered near Winchester in the early hours of Saturday, September 23.
The main road connecting London and Southampton came to a standstill as police sealed off the road and a bomb squad called.
Motorists were trapped on the motorway for as long as 11 hours.
A 17-year-old boy was charged with two counts of arson and two counts of causing danger to road users, police in Hampshire said.
Football fans travelling to watch Southampton's clash with Manchester United were forced to abandon their vehicles and trek one-and-a-half miles to the nearest train station amid the chaos.
Police said they were called to the scene at 3.49am to reports of "potential hazardous material in the road".
Social media users shared pictures of the scene near Winchester, with one showing a man walking his dog on the hard shoulder, others playing golf, and another doing a handstand on the carriageway.
Bomb disposal experts were called to the scene but police later said the substance was flammable, not explosive.
The boy has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court on Monday.
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