A 12-YEAR-OLD girl has been seriously injured in a collision with a car in west Dorset.

It happened on the busy A35 in the village of Morcombelake west of Bridport during yesterday evening's rush-hour.

The road was closed for several hours while the incident was dealt with and an investigation carried out.

Traffic between Bridport and Axminster was diverted up towards the A303 due to the closure of the major A35 cross-Dorset route.

Police say the girl's injuries are serious but not life threatening.

She suffered a head injury in the incident, a spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service said.

A Dorset Police spokesman said: "At 6.03pm yesterday, Tuesday, Dorset Police received a report of a collision involving a car and a pedestrian on the A35 at Morcombelake.

"Officers attended along with the ambulance service and road closures were put in place while emergency services dealt with the incident.

"The pedestrian, a 12-year-old girl, was taken to hospital with injuries that were believed to be serious but not life threatening.

"The road was reopened at around 12.40am today, Wednesday."

Police said the car involved was a white Fiat 500 registered to a woman from Yeovil.

The girl who was injured is from the Bridport area.

The initial plan was to transport the girl to Southampton Hospital and preparations were made for a coastguard helicopter to fly to the scene and airlift the young patient.

West Bay Coastguard Rescue Team was alerted to prepare a night-time emergency landing site in the Morcombelake area for the inbound helicopter.

However it was then decided by South Western Ambulance whose paramedics were treating the girl that she could go to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester by land ambulance.

West Bay CRT said it wished the casualty a full and speedy recovery.