A 75-year-old Alton man was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the car he was driving swerved across Butts Road, Alton, last Friday afternoon and overturned after hitting a lamp post.

His 71-year-old woman passenger in the red hatchback whch ended up on its side, suffered minor injuries and was treated by paramedics at the scene. She was also from Alton.

The accident happened at 2.30pm and the police closed the road and diverted traffic away from the scene while Surrey and Hampshire fire services cut the two occupants from the car.

The badly-injured man was treated at the kerbside by paramedics while ambulance crews treated the female passenger.

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, which landed on The Butts, took the injured man to hospital and the road remained closed for several hours.

Two ambulances, two rapid response vehicles and a consultant pre-hospital care practitioner in a rapid response car were at the scene within a few minutes,according to a police spokesman.

The lamppost, outside The Conservative Club, was left hanging over the car park and part of the brick wall along the front was demolished.