A SERIOUS accident forced the closure of Ringwood Road, near Ashley Heath, for five hours yesterday.

The 10am smash, at the junction of Old Barn Road, involved a Suzuki motorcycle and a Citroen car.

The male biker received on-the-spot treatment from paramedics, before being taken to Poole Hospital.

Traffic problems were compounded because a car boot sale was taking place along Ringwood Road on Sunday.

Hundreds of motorists were forced to sit in their cars waiting to be let out. The road only fully reopened at 3pm after police crash investigators examined the scene.

The driver of the car involved did not require hospital treatment, police said.