Police are appealing for information following a serious crash near Dorchester yesterday.

Dorset Police received a report just after 9am on Sunday, January 24 of a single car crash on the westbound carriageway of the A35 Puddletown bypass near to the Northbrook junction.

It was reported that a white Toyota Hilux had collided with a central reservation and a bridge pillar.

The driver, a man in is 20s from Southampton, was taken to Southampton General Hospital by air ambulance where he remains in a serious condition.

Road closures were put in place as the emergency services dealt with the incident and for an examination of the scene to be carried out, as well as for repair work to the central reservation. The road reopened around 7.20pm.

Sergeant Lee Savage, of the traffic unit, said: "We are carrying out an investigation to establish the full circumstances of this collision and I would urge any witnesses to the incident who have not already spoken to police to please come forward.

"I would also urge anyone who was travelling along the Puddletown bypass around the time of the collision and has dashcam fitted to their vehicle to please check their footage for anything relevant.

"Finally, I appreciate this collision resulted in the closure of a major trunk road for a number of hours and I would like to thank members of the public for their patience and understanding. The closure was necessary to allow the emergency services to safely respond to the. Incident and to ensure that the road had been made safe before it was reopened."

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at [email protected], call 101 or report it online quoting incident number 55210015152.

To stay 100 per cent anonymous, contact Crimestoppers at crimestoppers-uk.org or call 0800 555 111.