A MAN has been airlifted to hospital after an incident with a circular saw in Ringwood this afternoon.

Emergency services raced to the scene following a 999 call reporting that a man working on a store renovation had seriously hurt his arm.

Police say they received a call at 12.41pm reporting the industrial accident which happened next door to Blakes in Ringwood High Street, in a property undergoing major work.

A first responder medic was first on the scene minutes later and was followed up with a paramedic crew while the air ambulance was also called in. It landed just before 1pm at Bickerley Common.

Steve Dawkins, 43, of Ringwood Fabrics, said: "He [the victim] was very calm.

"He had a bad cut to his forearm, and someone had wrapped a t-shirt around it. I went over to see if there was anything I could do to help."

He said the makeshift bandage was "soaking with blood".

"It sounded like the saw jammed, jumped up and cut him across the arm," he said.

"I think he had a bit of a lucky escape."

The man was working at the site of an empty property which is set to become an Italian coffee shop.

Estate agent Lucy Tomlinson, who works at Irving Palmer, said: "I didn't know what had happened.

"It sounds awful and I hope the man is ok. We saw two police cars and two ambulances."

According to a spokesman for South Central Ambulance Service  they dispatched a crew at 12.29 to the scene.

He said: "The reports were of a man suffering arm and hand injuries. he was treated at the scene and then taken by ambulance by colleagues from South Western Ambulance Service."

The man was taken to Salisbury Hospital for treatment. His injury is thought to not be life changing.

Police say the Health and Safety Executive have now been informed.