A man in his 50s has sustained 'very serious injuries' after a crash on the A35 east of Bere Regis.

It is the third serious crash on the same road in a few days.

Two people were seriously injured in a crash on the A35 near Dorchester on Saturday, and a teenager was killed in a crash on the route near Kingston Russell on Monday afternoon.

In the latest crash on the evening of New Year's Day, Dorset Police were called at 8.11pm to a collision on the A35 near Bloxworth involving a white Ford Transit Connect and a black Volkswagen Caddy.

Emergency services attended and the driver of the Volkswagen, a man aged in his 50s, was taken to hospital for treatment for injuries that are believed to be very serious. His family has been informed.

It was reported that the driver of the Ford Transit had left the scene on foot. Following enquiries, a man aged in his 30s from Bournemouth has been arrested on suspicion of driving offences.

The road was closed as the emergency services responded to the incident and officers carried out an examination of the scene.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to come forward.

Sergeant Richard Stroud, of the Roads Policing Team, said: “We are carrying out a number of enquiries to establish the full circumstances of this collision and I am keen to hear from any witnesses to the incident, or the manner of driving of the vehicles involved prior to it.

“I would also ask anyone who was driving in the area around the time of the collision to please check any dashcam footage to see if they have captured anything of relevance.

“Finally, I would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding while the road closures were in place.”

A spokesperson for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to the A35 between Bere Regis and Bloxworth at 8.17pm last night following a two-vehicle road traffic collision.

"Three crews attended, two from Poole and one from Wareham, and one person was cut free from a van."

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: “We were called to a road traffic incident on the A35, near Bloxworth. We sent three double-crewed land ambulances, two air ambulances, and one doctor.

"We conveyed one patient by land ambulance to Southampton General Hospital.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email at scit@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 55240000343.

Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.