A WEYMOUTH man died in a crash on the A35 Puddletown Bypass last night.

Police are now appealing for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage of the incident to come forward.

Officers said at around 7.30pm on Tuesday, a collision occurred on the eastbound carriageway between the Northbrook Interchange at the A354 Blandford turning and the Tolpuddle Ball junction.

The collision involved a green Skoda Fabia and a black Ford Galaxy.

Police officers attended, along with the ambulance and fire services.

Very sadly, the driver of the Skoda – a 45-year-old man from Weymouth – was pronounced dead at the scene. His family has been informed and is being supported by specially-trained officers. The coroner has also been notified.

The driver of the Ford, a 61-year-old Weymouth man and his 60-year-old male passenger also from Weymouth, were both taken to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester for treatment to injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

The bypass was closed in both directions between the Northbrook junction and the Crossways turning at Tolpuddle Ball for several hours on Tuesday night to allow the police to conduct an investigation and for recovery work. The westbound carriageway was reopened first, and then the eastbound lane reopened this morning.

South West Ambulance said it sent four ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and the air ambulance to the scene.

Sergeant Fern Graham, of the traffic unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of the man who sadly died and we are determined to carry out a detailed investigation to establish the full circumstances of this collision.

“I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision, or the manner of driving of either vehicle involved prior to the incident, to contact us.

“I would also urge anyone who was travelling in the area and may have captured the incident on dashcam to check their footage.

“I would like to thank motorists for their patience and understanding while the road closures on the A35 have been in place and can assure members of the public that they are absolutely necessary to allow the emergency services to deal with the incident and for a thorough examination of the collision scene to take place.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police on 101 quoting incident number 16:373.