A woman is fighting for her life, and a man has been arrested on suspicion of driving offences, following a serious crash last night.

The crash involved a silver Peugeot 207, a silver Toyota Yaris, a white Kia Picanto and a black Nissan Qashqai at around 8.45pm on Monday, December 2 on the B3081 Shaftesbury Road near Gillingham.

The driver of the Kia – a woman aged in her 50s from Gillingham – was taken to hospital for treatment of injuries that are described as life-threatening.

Her next of kin has been informed.

The male driver of the Yaris and his passenger were taken to hospital for treatment.

An 18-year-old man from north Dorset has been arrested on suspicion of driving offences. He remains in police custody.

Police Sergeant Mike Burt, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “I am appealing to anyone who was travelling in the area and may have seen what happened – or the manner of driving of the vehicles involved prior to the collision – to please come forward.

“Also, if you were driving on the B3081 around the relevant time with a dashcam, please check your footage for anything that may assist our enquiries.

“The road was closed while emergency services attended the incident and carried out a thorough scene examination. I would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding during this time.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email at scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55240185025.

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