A HAMPSHIRE couple had to be cut free from the wreckage of their car after it came off the road and rolled 20m down an embankment.

The couple, a husband and wife who have not been named, were trapped inside their Honda S2000. It came off the A36 at the Ower roundabout near junction two of the M27.

Firefighters were able to cut the pair out of the vehicle that was left on its side and in a precarious position on the side of the embankment after hitting a tree.

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service said the couple, who are from Salisbury, had been "incredibly lucky" not to have been more seriously injured.

Emergency services including two paramedic crews from Totton and Southampton and more than a dozen firefighters were called to the scene following the accident which happened just before 11.30am yesterday.

The female passenger, aged 31, was able to walk away from the wreckage after the roof was cut off while the male driver, 35, had to be transferred to an ambulance on a board with suspected spinal injuries.

One lane of the southbound carriageway of the A36 was closed while the recovery was in progress. A police spokeswoman said: "The driver and passenger of the car were trapped after a car left the road, landing on its side approximately 20 metres on the southbound side of the dual carriageway."

Both casualties were taken to Southampton General Hospital where the driver was admitted with serious injuries while his wife was treated for minor wounds.

Motorists were advised to avoid the area while police conducted investigations as to why the car came off the road.

Hampshire police are appealing for anyone who saw the incident to contact PC Howard Miell at Lyndhurst Roads Policing Unit on 0845 045 4545.