A MOTORCYCLIST was airlifted to hospital following a serious crash which led to a key route being closed for nearly four hours.
Emergency services were called to a report of a collision involving a tractor and a motorcycle on the B3157 coast road near Portesham.
It happened between the Nottington Lane turn-off and the Rodden turn off at 10.10am yesterday.
The road was closed to allow emergency services to safely attend the scene.
An air ambulance landed in the area to take a man who was seriously injured in the collision to hospital.
Police officers and paramedics were at the scene and police road experts investigated the circumstances of the collision.
A spokesman for Dorset Police confirmed the injured man was the motorcyclist.
He said: "We were called at 10.10am to a report of a collision involving a tractor and a motorcycle on the B3157 between Portesham and Chickerell.
"Officers have attended, along with the ambulance service. Road closures have been put in place as the emergency services respond to the incident.
"One man has been taken to hospital by air ambulance with injuries that are believed to be serious. The road reopened at around 2.05pm."
Recovery of the vehicles took place after 12.30pm as debris from the crash was cleared from the road.
Road closures stretching more than four miles were put in place between Portesham and Chickerell with police officers advising motorists to find alternative routes.
The resulting road closures caused some delays in the area and surrounding roads as drivers attempted to find alternative routes across west Dorset.
The X53 bus service, which takes people across west Dorset from Weymouth, was affected by the road closure.
HGV and bus drivers were seen to carefully manoeuvre around the small roundabout at Chickerell and head back towards Weymouth once the road closure was in place.
A number of road closure signs were placed along the route advising motorists to turn around, but drivers were told to turn around by police officers parked near the Nottington Lane junction on the B3157.
Anyone who saw the collision or has any information is advised to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101.
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