STRIKING Andover firefighters broke their picket line twice on Monday to help release three people from two accidents.

Two engines from Andover - one crewed by whole-time firefighters and the other by retained - turned out for a crash on the A343 north of Hurstbourne Tarrant involving a container lorry and a Ford Escort.

A fire engine from Whitchurch, with a retained crew, and a green goddess from the DLO also attended the accident, which blocked the road for most of the morning.

Leading firefighter Terry Lawler said afterwards: "We are on strike but because the message came through to us that a person was trapped in her car we responded from the picket line."

Another striking firefighter pointed out they did not get paid when they left the picket line to attend such incidents.

A 24-year-old woman driver was cut from the car by firefighters using their specialist equipment. She was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The lorry driver received head injuries, a broken nose and bruising.

Petty Officer Pete Newell was a member of the green goddess crew which also attended the incident.

"We helped the fire and ambulance service get the lorry driver out of his cab and to the ambulance."

On the same morning an Andover-based engine - crewed by a mix of whole-time and retained firefighters - was called to an accident on the westbound carriageway of the A303 at Bullington Cross, when they rescued two people from a Corsa.

A female passenger in the Corsa received severe chest injuries and was admitted to the intensive care unit at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester. The female driver, aged 47, was also taken to hospital with chest and shoulder injuries.

Two other vehicles were involved in the accident - a Citroen C5 and a flatbed lorry.