THREE people were rushed to hospital after a crash on the Itchen Bridge in Southampton.

The casualties were among five people trapped when two cars collided at the junction Albert Road North and Saltmarsh Road at 6.58am.

They were taken to Southampton General Hospital with what are thought to be non-lifethreatening injuries.

One person suffered minor head injuries while the other two are complaining of neck pains.

The white Mondeo and silver Vauxhall Corsa were in collision shortly before the rush hour and the outbound lane of the bridge was closed causing major tailbacks for commuters on their way to work.

Crews from Redbridge and St Mary’s fire stations arrived and used cutting gear to rescue the casualties.

John Sullivan, 23, from Woolston, saw firefighters helping the casualties while on bus to work in St Mary’s. Mr Sullivan who walked back to see what was happening, said: “There were three fire engines an ambulance and police directing traffic.

“Two cars had crashed a white one and a silver one which has its bonnet crumpled.

“A woman who was in her 30s was in the white car and the firefighters had cut the roof off and she was waiting to be helped.

“There were around eight to ten fire fighters around the silver car and an ambulance with a stretcher out ready to take someone.”

A spokeswoman for South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) said: “We sent three ambulances a Rapid Response Vehicle and an ambulance officer and three patients were conveyed to hospital. Two were possible neck injuries and another for a head injury.”

Outbound traffic was initially diverted onto the inbound lane causing jams of up to 25 minutes in both directions before the road was opened at 8.40am.