Three people remain in hospital with 'serious' injuries following a crash near Southwold.

The three-vehicle crash, which closed the A1095 road for more than four hours yesterday (Sunday), saw seven people treated at the scene.

Four people, from one vehicle, were subsequently taken to different hospitals for further treatment – two of them by air ambulance,

The crash involved a Chevrolet, a Ford and a Peugeot, although all four injured were from one car.

The crash happened at around 12.50pm yesterday and police officers, police community support officers, fire crews, ambulance and the air ambulance attended the scene.

Fire crews from Wrentham, Southwold, Halesworth and Lowestoft South fire station were called to the scene with fire-fighters using hydraulic cutting equipment to release a casualty from one of the vehicles.

The road was blocked between the A12 Blythburgh junction and the Mardle Road junction, Wangford, before re-opening at 5.35pm.

A Suffolk police spokesman said this morning that a man, a woman, a teenage girl and a younger girl were in one of the vehicles, with the man, woman and teenager having suffered 'serious' injuries.

It is believed the young girl suffered 'minor cuts and bruising,' with all still understood to be in hospital.

The East of England Ambulance Service Trust said that three ambulances, an ambulance officer, the East Anglian air ambulance and Herts and Essex air ambulance all attended the scene of the crash.

A spokesman said: 'A man with suspected leg and ankle injuries and a child with a suspected back injury were taken to James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston by land ambulance.

'A woman with a suspected abdominal and pelvic injury was taken to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by East Anglian Air Ambulance. A female was taken to Addenbrookes with a suspected injury to her pelvis by Herts and Essex air ambulance.'

Three other patients were treated and discharged from the scene.

Southwold deputy mayor Ann Betts said: 'I was delayed and diverted as a result of the accident, on my way back from Darsham. There have been several accidents in that area over a number of years now. The thoughts of the local community, of course, are with those involved and injured in this accident.'

The vehicles were removed from the scene at 4.45pm and taken for further examination.

Suffolk county councillor Michael Ladd said: 'There have been a couple of fatalities on the A1095 over the last 10 years. The county council highways department will be very interested to learn further from police reports on how this crash occurred, in order to help prevent things like this happening again.'

Police are still appealing for witnesses to come forward, with anyone who has information asked to contact police on 101.