Twenty-two people were injured when a coach carrying pensioners was involved in a crash.

Seventeen of the injured were on board the coach which was in head-on collision with a Ford Explorer 4x4 on the A285 at Duncton Hill near Petworth.

The coach was then hit from behind by a motorcycle.

The road was closed for three hours as a fleet of ambulances took the injured to hospitals in Chichester and Worthing.

One 82-year-old man on the coach suffered a suspected fractured jaw and the other injured passengers, mostly from Surrey, escaped with cuts and bruises.

The accident happened just before 2pm yesterday.

The most serious injuries were to a 39-year-old mother and her two children travelling in the car.

The mother, from north west London, suffered broken ribs and her 14-year-old daughter sustained a broken ankle.

The bike rider, a 36-year-old man from Bognor, and his pillion passenger were also hurt.

The police helicopter landed close to the crash scene and paramedics on board helped treat some of the injured.

Most of the casualties were taken to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester.

The coach, run by a company in Cranleigh, Surrey, was badly damaged and another was sent to take passengers back to their homes.