A MAJOR accident on the A338 Spur Road yesterday afternoon caused tailbacks stretching almost all the way to Ringwood.

Police closed off the southbound section of the road for about an hour yesterday following a serious two-car collision, which required one of the casualties to be airlifted by police helicopter to Poole Hospital.

The accident happened at 1.30pm on the southbound carriageway between the Blackwater bridge junction and Cooper Dean round-about close to the sewage works.

Two cars were involved - a red Mercedes and a green Renault 21. Both drivers were trapped in their cars and freed by firefighters at the scene. Later their conditions were described as serious but not life-threatening.

Accident investigation officers attended the scene to establish the cause of the crash and the southbound carriageway was closed for at least an hour.

The closure brought traffic chaos to thousands of motorists during the busy period as police diverted traffic off the A338 at Blackwater Bridge.

Earlier, another driver had a lucky escape on the same road after her car left the road and landed in a water-filled ditch.

The accident happened at 8.23am on the northbound carriageway one-mile north of the Blackwater bridge junction when the woman's Vauxhall Tigra left the road and became wedged between two trees.

The driver was not injured in the accident.

Police closed the carriageway for a short time while the vehicle was recovered.

First published: October 30