A CAR towing a caravan crashed into a ditch and hit a tree on a busy route through the New Forest this afternoon.

Firefighters had to cut a woman free from the 4x4 vehicle following the incident on the A35 near Lyndhurst.

Police were called at 3.15pm and closed the road in both directions between Pinkney Lane and Bolderwood Arboretum Drive for around an hour to allow emergency crews to work.

A South Central Ambulance Service spokesman said that the woman trapped in the car sustained only minor injuries and was taken to Southampton General Hospital as a precaution.

Another man travelling in the vehicle escaped uninjured, the spokesman added.

One lane was reopened at around 4.30pm, but long traffic queues were reported into rush hour as a result of the incident.

No other vehicles are believed to have been involved.