TWO motorcyclists sustained serious injuries in two separate crashes within hours of each other in Dorset.

Both motorcyclists were airlifted to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries following the incidents which happened on Saturday, April 30.

The first collision occurred on the A3030 near Bishop's Caundle south of Sherborne at around 9.20am.

It involved a Yamaha motorcycle and a Vauxhall Astra.

Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance attended the incident and took the 54-year-old man from the Weymouth area to South Mead Hospital in Bristol.

A spokesperson from Dorset Police's traffic team said: “We were called at 9.19am to a two-vehicle crash on the A3030 at Bishop’s Caundle near Sherborne.

“The crash involved a motorcycle and a Vauxhall Astra. The motorcyclist has been airlifted to South Mead Hospital in Bristol by Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance.”

The Vauxhall Astra was registered to a 59-year-old man from Christchurch.

The road was closed while recovery took place.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dash cam footage to come forward and are urged to reference the incident number 153.

Just three hours later, a motorcyclist was injured in a crash involving a deer to the east of the county.

Police were called to reports of a crash involving a motorcycle, a car and an animal on the A31 at Merley at 12.22pm.

The road was closed between the Merley Roundabout and Canford Bottom Roundabout so emergency services could treat patients at the scene.

A male motorcyclist from the Hampshire area was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital.

The road reopened at 2.08pm.

Following this, Dorset Police's traffic team urged people on social media to “please drive/ride carefully and look out for one another”.

Officers also attended a vehicle fire in which a car burst into flames after a crash on the A31 in Wimborne on Saturday afternoon causing a minor injury.

The crash in Mill Street involving a black BMW X5 and a blue Ford Fiesta at the junction with Hope Farm happened just after 2pm.

The Fiesta driver suffered a minor injury before the car burst into flames on the roadside.

One fire crew from Wimborne attended the blaze which was extinguished by using two hose reel jets and two breathing apparatus wearers. The call to stop came at 2.31pm.

A road closure was in place while emergency services cleared the area. Dorset Police officers organised the recovery of the vehicle.