SEVEN people were taken to hospital following a serious crash near Dorchester.

One man was airlifted to Southampton Hospital with serious injuries.

Officers investigating the collision are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward.

Dorset Police received a report at 5.10pm yesterday of a collision involving a silver Vauxhall Meriva and a red Land Rover on the A37 Dorchester bypass near to Monkeys Jump roundabout.

The driver of the Vauxhall – a man aged in his 60s from Portland – was taken to Southampton General Hospital by air ambulance for treatment to serious injuries. Two passengers from the vehicle were taken to hospital for treatment.

The occupants of the Land Rover, a woman aged in her 40s and three children, were taken by the ambulance service to Dorset County Hospital.

The road was closed between Weirs roundabout and Monkeys Jump roundabout while emergency services dealt with the incident.

Police Constable Mark Burton, of the traffic unit, said: “We are continuing to make enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this collision and I would urge any witnesses who have not already spoken to police to please contact us.

“I would also ask anyone who was driving in the area around the relevant time who has dashcam fitted to please check their footage for anything that might assist our enquiries.

“Finally, I would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding while the road closures are in place. These are necessary to allow the emergency services to respond to the incident and for an examination of the scene to be safely conducted.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online, via email scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55220065608. Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.