DRIVERS faced major tailbacks after a car crashed into a tree and closed the eastbound A338 for two hours yesterday.

Police said it was 'fortunate' other cars did not crash too.

The elderly female driver suffered chest pains and breathing difficulties after her Nissan Almera crashed at 2pm.

Police said the Bournemouth woman was conscious at the scene of the crash but her next of kin have been notified of her injuries.

Witnesses said the vehicle was smoking. It was left sideways in the inside lane, around five yards from the tree, and completely crumpled over a front wheel arch.

The road is the busiest in Dorset and traffic officer PC Simon Fairholme said at the scene: “No other vehicles were involved and that is always fortunate.”

He said the cause of the accident was under investigation.

Broken glass and debris littered the road and the tree was stripped of bark up to around 3ft high.

Dorset Fire and Rescue sent crews from Christchurch and Redhill and they cut the roof off the vehicle. The driver, from Bournemouth, was out by 2.55pm and taken to Poole Hospital.

The recovery vehicle was stuck in the tailbacks and did not arrive to remove the damage car until 3.50pm.

The accident was at the end of the Cooper Dean Drive slip road near Fitness First, almost at the Cooper Dean Roundabout.

Both eastbound lanes were closed until 4.20pm between Richmond Park Road and the Castle Lane and traffic stretched back to around County Gates.

There were long delays as drivers diverted onto alternative routes like Wimborne Road, Richmond Park Road, and Christchurch Road.