A woman had to be cut free from her car after a high-speed head-on crash on the A27.

Emergency services were called to the A27 near Falmer when a car came over the central reservation and hit her 4x4 head-on.

She was cut free by firefighters and taken to hospital with back and neck pain. The male driver of the others car walked away with minor injuries.

Fire crews from Brighton's Preston Circus, Hove and Roedean stations were called to the westbound section of the A27 at around 9.30pm on Friday evening.

Police and ambulance crews followed shortly after.

Jon Lee, crew commander at Preston Circus Fire Station, said: “It was quite a heavy impact and the Honda CRV 4x4, which the woman was driving, was badly smashed up.

“We had to take the roof off so we could get to her and she was treated by paramedics. She was complaining of spinal injuries so we had to be careful. The driver of the other vehicle and the passenger in the 4X4 had minor injuries.

“It was a big vehicle but it was still badly smashed up. It probably saved her life.”

The female driver was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken to hospital.

The road was blocked for nearly two hours while the rescue operation was carried out.

Nobody else is believed to have been seriously hurt.

The firefighters were due to be starting their strike on Friday evening but continued to work on the indecent due its serious nature.