POLICE and firefighters sealed off a petrol station on Wednesday morning after a motorist drove into one of the pumps.

The incident happened at 6.30am at the Texaco garage on the A31 at Ringwood.

The 26-year-old female driver of the red Ford Fiesta was treated by an ambulance crew and firefighters and the pump was partially knocked over.

There was no fire, but two fire crews from Ringwood were sent to the scene and helped to make it safe, washing down the area.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Fire and Rescue said they used one hose reel to help dampen the fumes which were around.

Staff and customers were evacuated during the incident.

The driver of the red Ford Fiesta suffered minor injuries, thought to be whiplash, and her vehicle was recovered.

The petrol station remained closed for most of yesterday, while engineers repaired the damage.

A member of staff at the service station said: “Basically someone just drove into one of the pumps and has really damaged it.

“We're not sure how she managed to do it.

“We're going to be closed for the rest of the day.”

Traffic built up on the A31 as a result of the recovery operation with long delays from Ringwood throughout the morning.

The queues were cleared by midday.