Three people were taken to hospital, one by air ambulance, following a two-car smash yesterday on Shropshire’s A49 close to the junction with Overton Road, near Ludlow.

The crash happened at 5.25pm, closing the road for about an hour while emergency services worked at the scene.

Vicki Smillie, a paramedic who attended the scene, said a woman from Mid Wales had to be cut out of one of the cars and was airlifted to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

She said: “One car had suffered significant damage. The driver, a 52-year-old woman from Powys, was complaining of neck, back and head injuries.

“Working with fire crews, the roof was removed while we treated her inside. She was then immobilised using a neck collar and spinal board before she was airlifted to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.”

A man, woman and a baby travelling in the other vehicle got out of the car before the emergency services arrived.

“It (the car) was not badly damaged and the driver had a minor thigh injury and did not want to go to hospital,” she added.

“The 49-year-old woman passenger, who comes from Ludlow, had chest pain and was quite shaken by what had happened.

“She was taken along with the baby boy to the same hospital.

“The baby was uninjured but taken as a precaution.”

Inspector Mark Gregory, of West Mercia Police, said the road was closed for about an hour while paramedics attended the scene and the air ambulance was in use.

Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said one pump from Ludlow, one from Tenbury Wells, the incident commander from Shrewsbury and the rescue tender attended the scene.