A MAN died and four other people suffered serious injuries in an accident on the A35 near Bere Regis on Saturday afternoon.

Emergency services rushed to the scene around 4.40pm amid reports of a three vehicle collision on the westbound lane, just before the single carriageway becomes a dual carriageway.

Due to the number of people injured in the smash, Dorset Police closed the A35 in both directions between Bere Regis and the Stinsford roundabout to allow paramedics to treat casualties. The air ambulance also landed at the scene.

The collision involved a white BMW, a white Land Rover Freelander and a silver Mercedes.

The driver of the Freelander, a 49-year-old Weymouth man, sustained very serious injuries and died at the scene.

Four other people suffered injuries described by police as ‘serious’ and were taken to hospital for emergency treatment.

The road remained closed until Sunday morning, to allow specially-trained police collision investigators to carry out a detailed examination of the crash site.

Thousands of motorists were caught up in lengthy delays in the area throughout the incident and into the evening. Diversions were put in place.

Now police have issued an appeal for witnesses.

Police Sergeant Fern Graham, of the traffic unit, said: “I am appealing to anyone who was travelling along the A35 and either witnessed the collision or saw the manner of driving of either vehicle immediately prior to the incident to please contact Dorset Police.

“I am also keen to hear from anyone who was in the area and may have dashcam that could be relevant to our investigation.Due to the seriousness of the collision and the number of people injured, it was necessary for us to close the A35 to allow the injured to be cared for as quickly as possible and for collision investigators to establish what happened.

“I appreciate these closures caused considerable delays for motorists and I would like to thank them for their patience and understanding.”

Anyone with information should contact Dorset Police at dorset.police.uk, via email at 101@dorset.pnn.police .uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 14:366

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via crimestoppers-uk.org.