AN ELDERLY woman was cut free from a car after a smash on the A37 north of Dorchester which closed the road for two hours.

Emergency services were alerted just after 10am yesterday after a collision between two cars on Long Ash Lane near Evershot.

Police, paramedics and firefighters all attended the scene, close to the turning for Chantmarle and Frome St Quintin and just beyond Wardon Hill. The road was closed and diversions put in place.

Firefighters cut the roof off a silver Renault G-Modus to release a 72-year-old woman.

She was taken in an ambulance to Yeovil Hospital for treatment for a neck injury, which is not thought to be life threatening.

Police said the car is registered to a Bridport man.

The second vehicle involved was a blue Vauxhall Zafira, registered to a Warwickshire man. The occupant escaped without injury.

A spokesman for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said: “The service was called by the police to a report of a road traffic accident with possible persons trapped on the A37 near Grimstone.

“Two appliances from Dorchester were mobilised.

“The incident was eventually located at Holywell Cross on the A37. The collision involved two vehicles.

“There was one person trapped and they were released by the service using hydraulic cutting equipment.

“Three people were injured and were taken to hospital.

“The crews made the scene safe before returning to their home station.”

Traffic backed up along the A37 whilst crews carried out the work and a road block was put in place by police officers.

Drivers stopped in a lay-by near Wardon Hill Farm whilst they waited for the road to be re-opened. Several serious accidents have occurred on theA37 in recent years.

In 2009, Beaminster artist Alastair Flattely and his wife Sheila were killed in a collision with a lorry.

In April 2011 the road was closed following a crash between a coach and a caravan and in February this year, four people were taken to hospital after a collision involving two vehicles and a lamppost near Grimstone.

Last month motorists were urged to take care after a diesel spillage on the road caused a shunt between three cars near Sydling St Nicholas.

Sally Falkingham, chairman of Maiden Newton parish council said: “I have been on the parish council since 1995 and I should think we have had about 15 major incidents on that road in that time.

“I don’t know what happened in this particular accident. But certainly we were disturbed when they were improving the A37 and they didn’t give us a left turning coming from Dorchester into Norden Lane and Sydling St Nicholas.

“What we have seen at that part of the road is that you get people slowing down to turn left and those behind not slowing down and trying to take over and then hitting the people waiting to turn right.”