A man is fighting for life in hospital after his convertible was involved in a crash.

The incident happened on New Road – the B3092 – south of Gillingham and was reported to police at 7.13pm yesterday.

It involved a purple Mini Cooper convertible with the roof down, driven by a 31-year-old man from Yeovil, and a silver Land Rover Discovery, driven by a 42-year-old man from South Wiltshire.

The Mini driver was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

All other people from both vehicles were taken to Yeovil hospital as a precaution.

The fire and ambulance services also attended and a road closure was put in place to enable emergency services to deal with the incident and allow officers to investigate the scene.

Sergeant Sarah Jones, of the traffic unit, said: “We are carrying out a thorough investigation to establish the full circumstances of this collision.

“I am appealing to any witnesses who have not already spoken to us or anyone who may have captured the incident on dashcam to please contact us.

“Finally, I would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding while the road closure is in place.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email SCIT@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 21:387. Alternatively, or alternatively to stay 100% anonymous, contact the independent charity Crimestoppers online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or call freephone 0800 555 111.