PART of the Upton Bypass was closed this morning for seven hours due to a crash involving a bus and emergency service vehicles.

Officers and paramedics had been dealing with a single vehicle collision on the westbound carriageway heading toward the Bakers Arms roundabout when a bus collided with a police car and ambulance shortly before 3.30am.

Police asked motorists to avoid the area while the damaged vehicles were dealt with and an investigation was carried out.

The westbound carriageway of the A35 was closed from the A350 Blandford Road North to A351 Bakers Arms roundabout since around 3.30am.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "In the early hours of Thursday, January 30, police and the ambulance service were dealing with a non-injury single vehicle collision on the Upton Bypass toward Bakers Arms roundabout when at 3.23am it was reported that a bus had collided with the police and ambulance vehicles.

"Two people sustained minor injuries.

"There was a road closure in place including the slip road to allow the safe dealing with the damaged vehicles.

"The local authority has been called in order to deal with debris on the road and damage to road furniture."

A post by Dorset Police on Twitter said: "The westbound carriage way of the Upton bypass toward Bakers Arms is closed due to a minor injury collision involving a bus and two vehicles in order to deal with the damaged vehicles.

"Please avoid the area."

The road repoened at around 10.30am.