Car fires in Dorchester and Weymouth cause chaos on roads

A car burst into flames after it was in collision with an ambulance along the A354 Weymouth Way near to the Swannery Bridge.

The car was pictured with its front end caved and burnt out after the collision and caused delays for just over an hour and half as police and fire services responded.

It wasn't until after 2.30pm that the road was clear. 

Burnt out car on Weymouth Way (Image: Supplied)

A spokesperson for Dorset Police at the time said: "At 12.52pm on Thursday, May 16, Dorset Police received a report of a two-vehicle road traffic collision on the A354 Weymouth Way close to the junction for Abbotsbury Road.

"It is reported that a car collided with an ambulance and has caught fire.

"Officers are in attendance with the fire service. The road is currently closed from Westham Bridge. No injuries have been reported."

Weymouth Way was closed heading into Weymouth because of the crash (Image: Cristiano Magaglio)

A spokesperson for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue added that despite one crew being called from Weymouth ‘no action on their part was required.’

South West Ambulance Service has yet to respond to the incident.

A second car fire also caused chaos on the A37 at the Charminster bypass near Dorchester.

A two-vehicle crash at its junction with Weir View Road, resulted in one of the cars becoming engulfed in flames.

Weymouth Way was closed heading into Weymouth because of the crash (Image: Supplied)

The fire service says the occupants were able to move to safety and police said there were no serious injuries.

The road was partially blocked in both directions as the emergency services responded.

Fire crews had to use two breathing apparatus wearers and two hose reel jets to put out the fire.

The car fire was partially blocking the road which caused traffic to back up (Image: Supplied)

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said: "We were called to the Charminster bypass at 2.53pm following a two-vehicle road traffic collision.

"A crew from Dorchester attended and found one of the vehicles well alight; the occupants of both cars had been able to move to safety."

The remnants of a car that caught fire on the A37 (Image: Dorchester Fire Station)

Further chaos was caused on the roads as a car and motorbike were involved in a crash on Monkton Hill between Weymouth and Dorchester just before 2pm.

It left those involved with ‘minor injuries’.

The crash happened between the Stadium roundabout and the turning for Winterborne Herringston on the A354, and caused delays to traffic heading both to and from Weymouth.

A second crash, again involving a car and motorbike, caused disruption in Dorchester town centre.

The collision, reported around 3.50pm, saw traffic back up along Albert Road at the Top O Town roundabout.

There were no injuries reported at the time, police say.