AN ELDERLY woman from Lyme Regis has died after a car crash on the Dorset-Devon border.

Emergency services were called to Lyme Road near Axminster at around 4pm yesterday (15) to a collision involving a Ford Mondeo and a Mitsubishi Space Star, close to the Symonds Lane junction.

A spokesman from Devon and Cornwall Police said: “The Mondeo was heading uphill from Axminster when it collided with the nearside verge before being in collision with the Mitsubishi which was travelling in the opposite direction.

“The Mitsubishi left the road and dropped three metres down a bank before coming to rest against trees.

“The driver, a 73-year old woman from Lyme Regis, sustained serious injuries and was pronounced deceased at hospital. Also within the vehicle were an 82-year-old man and a young child who both sustained minor injuries.”

The driver of the Mondeo, an 80-year-old woman, also from Lyme Regis, was taken to Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital with minor injuries.

The road was closed for seven hours in order for officers from Devon and Cornwall Police’s Serious Collisions Investigation Team to carry out a forensic examination of the scene.

Firefighters from Charmouth and Lyme Regis, as well as Axminster and Colyton in Devon were called to the incident.

A spokesman from Devon and Somerset Fire Service, said: “On arrival, crews discovered one road traffic collision involving four vehicles with two persons trapped.

“Two persons had been released prior to the arrival of the fire service.

“Crews used hydraulic cutting equipment, stretchers and manual handling to release the two elderly people and left them in the care of the ambulance service.”

Officers are appealing for witnesses to the collision and would like to hear from anyone who saw either vehicle travelling on Lyme Road prior to the incident.

Anyone who can assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by email on 101@dc.police.uk or by telephone 101, quoting 0489 of 15/11/16.