A CAR driver was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after a Halloween crash on the A358 at Greens Hill, near Crowcombe, which blocked the road in both directions.

The vehicle, carrying three other people, came off the road and ended up in a water-filled ditch, trapping the driver.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) received an alert from South Western Ambulance Services NHS Trust (SWAST) and sent firefighters to the scene from Taunton, Bridgwater, and Wellington.

Two fire engines, a heavy rescue unit, and water safety team were sent, while three double-crewed SWAST ambulances, the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance, two operations officers, a doctor, and a hazardous area response team also attended.

Passing motorists stopped to call the emergency services shortly before 3.30 pm and to initially manage traffic until police arrived.

The firefighters used cutting gear to release the trapped driver who was then flown to Southmead Hospital, in Bristol.

Three other casualties suffered minor injuries and were treated at the scene by paramedics before two were taken by land ambulances to Musgrove Park Hospital, in Taunton.

The road, which was wet and slippery with fallen leaves, was closed for several hours between Red Post and Holford Lane with traffic diverting through Cowcombe.

🌑 Also on Halloween, firefighters from Williton tackled an incident on Willett Hill, on the B3224 road in Elworthy, when a vehicle towing a trailer carrying four feed barrels caught alight shortly before 5 pm.

The fire crews used two sets of breathing apparatus, a hose reel jet, and small tools to put out the blaze but the vehicle was completely destroyed by the flames.

A DSFR spokesperson said there had been an increase in the past few weeks in road incidents as the weather was changing and vegetation had been dropping from trees and bushes onto carriageways, lengthening vehicle stopping distances.