A STURMINSTER Marshall woman was injured after nine tonnes of steel fell on her car this afternoon.

The A350 Poole Road has now reopened after an earlier closure both ways between the Roundhouse Roundabout and the A35 junction in Poole.

The road was closed for almost five hours. The lorry shed its load by Honeyfields in Crumpets Farm Drive, in Lytchett Matravers at around 2.20pm.

The local authority is also at the scene.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: "The road was badly damaged by metal in the incident and the Highways Agency are in attendance."

The woman, who was driving a black Kia Picanto, suffered cracked ribs in the incident. She was taken to Poole Hospital.

The lorry, a 44-tonne HGV, was carrying "rectangles" of steel.

It is reported that a nine tonne block fell on the car driven by the injured woman.

Daily Echo photographer Richard Crease said 10 large dents were in the road where the steel had landed.

Craig Hansford, 21, said: "It's quite a dangerous road.

"We get a lot of accidents here. My neighbour saw everything and she heard a really loud bang."

Following the incident, a black Ford Focus was involved in a minor collision with a police car.

It is believed the car had ignored the road closure when the incident occured.