A MAN has died following a three-vehicle crash on a major Dorset route early this morning.

Dorset Police were called at 5.22am on Tuesday April 12 to reports of a serious injury road traffic collision on the A35 near to the Miles Cross junction involving a HGV lorry, white Mercedes Sprinter van and a Volvo V40.

Police, along with the ambulance service and fire service, attended the incident.

Officers are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward following the fatal collision in Bridport.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "Very sadly, the driver of the Mercedes van, a 20-year-old man from Newton Abbott, was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed and the coroner notified.

"The driver of the HGV, a woman aged in her 20s and from Weston-super-Mare, sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.

"The driver of the Volvo, a male aged in his 50s from Paignton in Devon, was uninjured in the collision."

The road was closed between the Symondsbury and Crown roundabouts while an examination of the scene was carried out.

Sergeant Jay Griffin, of the traffic unit, added: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends at this very difficult time.

“An investigation into the circumstances of this collision is now underway and I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision, saw the vehicles being driven immediately prior to it, or captured something of relevance on dashcam to please contact Dorset Police immediately.

“The road closure was in place for a number of hours, and I would like to thank the public for their understanding. Closing a main arterial route is not something we take lightly, but it was absolutely necessary to allow emergency services to deal with the incident and recover the large vehicles involved.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online, via email scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55220057271.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.