AN ELDERLY man continues to fight for life in hospital after a car hit a tree near Wimborne.

The Ferndown man, who is in his eighties, was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital after sustaining life-threatening injuries in the crash in Harts Lane in Holt at 2.07pm on Sunday.

A 78-year-old female, who was also in the blue Jaguar car, died at the scene. Her next of kin have been informed and the coroner has been notified.

Harts Lane was closed at the junction with Colehill Lane and by God's Blessing Lane for several hours while crime scene investigators were looking for clues as to the cause.

Nearby resident, Chris Tapley, 54, went to try and help the people in the car, along with some staff from the nearby Stewarts Garden Centre.

A spokesperson from Stewarts Garden Centre said that they have reviewed their CCTV and will pass it onto Dorset Police.

They confirmed that their first aiders rushed out to see if they could provide assistance for the incident and said that the couple had not been at the centre before the crash happened.

Anyone with information should call Dorset Police on 101, quoting incident number 28:261.