A MOTORIST died when his car was involved in a head-on smash with a van at Whiteparish.

He was 36-year-old Ian Softley who lived in Salisbury.

Mr Softley was driving his Peugeot 405 along the A36 towards Landford when last Friday morning's accident happened near the Common Road junction. He died instantly.

Romsey and Salisbury fire crews were called out to release Mr Softley who was trapped in the wreckage of his car.

Mark Jones from Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived on the scene two hours after the accident happened.

"It was horrific and very sad that someone lost their life," said Mark who was researching information for a press release about road crashes in neighbouring Hampshire at the time.

Two men in the Renault van suffered serious injuries and were taken to Salisbury District Hospital. A Wiltshire police spokesman said neither men's condition was not life threatening.

The A36 was blocked for about six hours following the 7.10am crash.

Southbound traffic was diverted around the crash scene via Whiteparish village centre and Sherfield English and back onto the A3090 at Romsey. And northbound motorists were advised to join the A27 at the junction of the A3090 at Romsey's Greenhill re-join the A36 at Whiteparish.

Wiltshire police used the force's helicopter to photograph the scene.

The day before the fatality, a lorry hit a telegraph pole at Brickworth Corner in Whiteparish. The driver was not injured but the pole was toppled.