A MAN was killed after his car hit a tree near Ringwood in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The collision took place in Crow Lane, which exits the town at its south east corner and enters the New Forest, at shortly before 2am.

The white Volkswagen Scirocco was reportedly travelling southwards when it left the road and collided with a tree, ending up in a ditch at the side of the road.

The driver, a 21-year-old man from Bransgore, was taken to Southampton General Hospital for treatment but died a few hours later.

His next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.

Sergeant Andy Gwyer, from Hampshire Constabulary, said: “We know that this was in the early hours of the morning when there are very few vehicles around but we would like to hear from anyone who may have seen this collision or who might have seen this vehicle prior to what happened.

“The car was travelling south along Crow Lane, heading away from the centre of Ringwood, so if you were in the area around this time and you think you may have seen the car, please get in touch as you could have information which could assist with our investigation.”

Cyril Crabb, a resident of Crow Lane, said the road was known as a black spot to residents.

“It happened at 1.50am. I heard the noise, it woke me up. There was this huge bang.

“My wife rang 999 within a few minutes. An ambulance came out quite quickly. There were two women trying to resuscitate the man.

“There were things happening from just after 2am until 6am this morning.

“We’ve had lots of accidents, but never as serious as this one.

“They come through this road at very high speeds that time of the night, but to get a crash this serious is unusual.

“We’ve been here for forty-something years, and this is probably the seventh serious crash we’ve had on the road. There’s a bend there, and they end up in that ditch.”

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I’m absolutely shocked to hear a young man has died in the crash.

“There were a lot of flashing lights and a lot of police up and down the road. With regards noise, I couldn’t hear anything.

“Eventually it tailed down at around half past three.”

Call 101 with information quoting reference 44170304869.