A BIKER was killed and another was seriously injured in two horror crashes in Dorset at the weekend.

A 52-year-old man died after a smash on the A350 in North Dorset yesterday, increasing the grim total of the amount of people killed on Dorset’s roads this year to 19.

He suffered serious injuries and was airlifted from the scene on the A350 near Compton Abbas and taken to Frenchay Hospital in Bristol where he died.

In another crash over the weekend, a biker broke both his legs in a collision involving two other vehicles on the A3066 near Beaminster.

Yesterday’s fatal crash on the A350 happened at 12.30pm and involved a motorcycle registered to a man who police say was from the local area.

It was being ridden south when it was in collision with a grey Land Rover Discovery, travelling north, registered to a driver from Caerphilly, Wales.

Two ambulances and the air ambulance attended, South Western Ambulance Service said.

The A350 between Blandford and Shaftesbury was closed for several hours and not reopened until last night.

Motorists flocking to the last day of the Great Dorset Steam Fair faced long tailbacks throughout the afternoon, although a signed diversion was put in place via the A357.

Speaking at the scene Sergeant Nikki Burt said: “It is in the very early stages of the investigation.

“We are appealing for witnesses, anyone who witnessed any vehicles prior to the collision or the scene itself should contact Dorset Police on 101 quoting reference number 230/1st.

“The investigating officer is Sergeant 1667 Nikki Burt.”

A Dorset Police spokesman thanked motorists for their patience while the road closure was in place.

The road was closed to allow the scene to be examined by collision investigators and crime scene investigators, he said.

The spokesman said the biker’s next of kin had been informed.

The death comes just a week after a collision on the A35 at Askerswell near Bridport in which mum Rosemary Evans was critically injured. She died in hospital last Tuesday.

The A3066 crash happened on near Melplash just before 7pm on Saturday.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: “We were alerted by the ambulance service to the collision, the location of which was given as Vere Cross between Melplash and Netherbury near Crooked Oak Cottage.

“The vehicles involved were a red Suzuki motorcycle registered to a man from Bristol, a bronze Honda estate registered to a local keeper and black Ford Focus registered to a person from Avon and Somerset.

“The petrol tanker came away from the bike in the collision and the fire service attended because of fuel on the road. The local authority was also requested to attended to put sand down.

“Road closures were removed at 9.47pm.”

Dorset County Council cabinet member for Environment Hilary Cox has called on all motorists to keep safe on the roads.

She said: “Our advice for motorcyclists is to look out for drivers, particularly at junctions, and for drivers to look out for motorcyclists.”