A MAN and a woman died when their car was involved in a crash with a lorry on a main route in Dorset.

It happened on the A31 east of Bere Regis about 5.20pm on Monday.

Police closed the A31 for several hours between Bere Regis and the Roundhouse Roundabout at Sturminster Marshall.

A man and a woman inside the car were ‘killed instantly’ at the scene.

The road was closed to allow crash scene investigators carry out a detailed examination and for the vehicles to be recovered.

Dorset Police said the collision, east of Red Post, Winterborne Zelston, involved a Scania heavy tractor articulated lorry registered to a company from outside of Dorset and a Fiat car registered to a Dorset motorist.

Motorists faced long delays in the area as police closed the A31 and put diversions in place. Officers urged people to avoid travelling in the area last night as the scene was cleared.

The collision is the 27th fatal crash on Dorset’s roads this year and brings the number of people killed on the roads up to 28. Last year there were 25 fatal crashes.

The road remained closed while officers carried out an investigation at the scene.

Among those caught up in hold-ups were Martin Moore, 38, from Dorchester who said: “These diversions go on for miles. We’ve heard that there’s an incredibly serious accident but no one’s sure exactly where or what’s happened.”

Mike Griffin, chairman of the Lower Winterborne Group Parish Council, said news of the double fatal was ‘very sad’.

He added: “There seem to be a lot of accidents, minor and major, along the stretch of road from the Red Post to the World’s End pub where there is a 40mph speed limit.

“I’ve seen the air ambulance there before.

“This is obviously a very sad incident especially to hear two people have died.”

A staff member at The World’s End pub and restaurant, located on the A31, said motorists had been stopping by to avoid sitting in the mounting traffic.

She said: “We are normally quiet on a Tuesday but the traffic build up meant we had more people coming in because of the huge queues.”