ONE person died and a second is critical after another black day on local roads on Tuesday.

Traffic jams built up as major link roads in Bournemouth and Poole were closed for hours to deal with two major accidents and several more crashes during the afternoon and evening.

A total of six accidents took place in four hours on some of the busiest roads in the Bournemouth/Poole conurbation.

The worst incident was in Alder Road in Poole where a cyclist died.

The male rider was in collision with the back of a van at the bottom of a hill, by the junction with South Park Road at around 2.40pm.

Dorset Police said the white Astra van was stationary at a set of pedestrian lights when the cyclist was in collision with the rear doors. He was taken to Poole Hospital and then Southampton's neurological unit where he later died.

Alder Road was not re-opened until almost 6pm. Both the cyclist and van driver were Bournemouth men, said police.

Bournemouth's Holdenhurst Road was shut from 3.04pm until just after 7pm after a motorcyclist suffered serious head injuries. His Kawasaki motorcycle was in collision with a Rover 218, which was making a U-turn, near the junction with Lowther Gardens.

The motorcyclist was taken by ambulance to Poole Hospital where his condition was said to be critical but stable.

The car driver, 22, was interviewed at Bournemouth police station.

Dorset Way in Poole was closed both ways between the Old Wareham Road Roundabout and the A35 following crashes later on in the afternoon.

No one was seriously injured in the accidents, which included a three-car collision on the eastbound carriageway at 5.20pm near the Upton bypass.

Two cars also had a minor collision in Kingland Road at 5.40pm.

At the weekend, a motorcyclist from Poole died at the Fleetsbridge roundabout and a motorcyclist from Wimborne was killed in the New Forest.