A WOMAN was airlifted to hospital with serious hip and thigh injuries following a two-car smash involving a driving school car on an A127 slip road.

London’s air ambulance landed at the Noak Bridge Interchange, in Basildon, at about 3.20pm yesterday to take the woman to the Royal London Hospital for further treatment.

An ambulance spokesman said that she had suffered a major pelvic injury and fractures to her thigh bone.

The dual carriageway was closed for the air ambulance to land following the crash.

Paramedics also assessed another woman and man at the scene before taking them to Basildon Hospital for treatment.

It is not thought that their injuries were serious.

One of the cars involved in the crash was a driving school car which led to speculation that one of the people injured may have been a learner driver.

The crash caused severe tailbacks and delays for commuters wanting to use the A127.

Earlier in the day, at about 12.30pm, a woman in her 70s was taken to hospital following a three- car crash on the A127.

The crash happened on the London-bound carriageway just past the Mayflower Retail Park.

Two ambulances and one police car were on the scene and closed one lane.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Officers received calls that a lorry and two vehicles had collided close to the Mayflower industrial park.

“A woman, aged in her 70s, was taken to hospital with minor injuries.”

Louise Bishoprick, 27, who was travelling from Chelmsford to Basildon, was caught up in the traffic and said: “It took me about half an hour to move between Mayflower Retail Park and the Basildon sign.

“The crash looked pretty nasty.”

At about 4pm, traffic became snarled up in Basildon yet again when a car crashed into traffic lights in Miles Gray Road.

There were also issues on the trains, making it a difficult day all round for commuters.

Peak time train services were cancelled and delayed after a track defect on the Southend Victoria line between Manor Park and Ilford.

The fault meant that trains had to run at reduced speed on some lines.