POLICE partially closed one of the area’s busiest roundabouts yesterday afternoon following a two-vehicle collision.

The accident happened at 1.20pm on the Ashley Heath side of the Ashley Heath roundabout and involved a black Ford Mondeo, registered to a Southampton man, and a black Ford S-Max registered to a Fordingbridge woman.

Firefighters were called to cut the roof off the Mondeo car after the driver reported neck pain. The injuries are not thought to be serious.

Police closed a section of the roundabout to traffic while emergency services dealt with the collision and the incident caused considerable congestion in the area, with tailbacks of four miles reported along some of the main routes.

Motorists travelling northbound along the A338 Spur Road were unable to go over the roundabout or travel towards Ringwood and were instead diverted onto the A31 towards St Leonards.

A Dorset Police spokesman said recovery vehicles arrived at the scene at 2.25pm and the roundabout was cleared shortly after 2.45pm before being reopened to traffic.

Officers from the highways agency were called to the incident to clear debris from the road.

A taxi was arranged to take two passengers and a dog from one of the vehicles home.