A BIKER and his pillion passenger were both taken to hospital after a head-on collision with a car in Westcliff.

The man and woman were riding on a black Suzuki GSXR motorbike along Prince Avenue when the motorcycle was involved in a crash with a silver Subaru Impreza, which was driving along the one way section of Prince Avenue as it meets Westbourne Grove.

It is thought the rider struck the windscreen and was thrown into the air before landing behind the car.

Both vehicles were severely damaged in the crash.

Ashley Moore is a photographer who passed the scene shortly after the impact.

He said: “I arrived a few seconds after it happened, pretty much as the ambulance turned up.

“Both the bike and the car were badly mashed up.

“There were four people in the car and the windscreen of it was all smashed. It was pretty horrific.

“The fire brigade were there and were holding a sheet up around the guy who was on the bike while the paramedics were working on him. It didn’t look good.”

An ambulance and rapid response crew were sent to the scene.

The male rider, 32, and his female passenger, 31, both from Braintree, were taken to Southend Hospital.

The man had suffered serious arm injuries and the woman sustained a serious pelvic injury.

The driver of the car was not injured in the accident, which happened shortly before 4pm on Sunday.

Fire crews from Southend attended to clean up spilt fuel, but the road remained open.