THE West Midlands air ambulance service was called to a collision on the Bewdley by-pass which left two people injured.

Two cars, a white Austin Maestro and a black Vauxhall Safira, collided soon after 11am last Friday near traffic lights on the junction of the Stourport Road and the by-pass.

An elderly man, a passenger in the Maestro, was trapped for 30 minutes with suspected spinal injuries before being rescued by the Kidderminster Fire Brigade.

"It was a delicate operation and we had to take him out on a spinal board through the rear passenger door," explained station officer Bob Williams of Kidderminster Fire Station.

He was then airlifted to Ronkswood Hospital in Worcester and a second casualty was taken by road to the same hospital.

Additional police officers were drafted to the scene to help control the traffic.

The helicopter used Bewdley Leisure Centre as a base.