A motorist is in a serious but stable condition in hospital after a crash last Thursday evening on Caen Hill in Devizes.

John Martin, 45, from Trowbridge, had to be cut free from his Audi A4 after it was involved in a collision with a Mercedes C200 Kompressor on the dual carriageway opposite Jones’ scrapyard and then hit a lamppost.

Police and fire crews were called out at about 6.15pm and Mr Martin was freed using hydraulic rescue equipment and taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with a fractured pelvis and internal injuries.

The 25-year-old driver of the Mercedes was not injured and the road reopened in the early hours of Friday morning after a police collision investigation team had completed its work.

Mr Martin, who is originally from Scotland, moved to Trowbridge more than 20 years ago and lives with his wife Michelle and two children. He was on his way home from his job at a printing firm when the accident happened.

Family from Scotland including his sister Caroline Loudon will fly down from Glasgow tomorrow.

There has been an ongoing debate about the safety of the half-mile dual carriageway, which sits between a winding section of country road and the 30mph limit at the entrance to the town.

In recent years there have been a number of crashes, including fatal accidents in 2004 and 2008. Between January and August this year there were three accidents.

Pip Flowers, station commander at Devizes Fire station, said it took almost an hour to free Mr Martin from the car. He said: “It was quite a bad crash. Both cars were written off.”

A Wiltshire Council spokesman said: “Next year we will be looking to improve pedestrian access in conjunction with programmed carriageway repairs.”