THREE people had to be cut free from their car after a crash in Newport yesterday afternoon.

A blue Ford Fiesta and a black Ford Focus crashed on the Southern Distributor Road (SDR), close to the Lysaghts Institute, just before 2.30pm.

The driver and front seat passenger of the Focus were taken to the city’s Royal Gwent Hospital with suspected neck injuries and the rear seat passenger was airlifted to the University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff, with suspected neck and back injuries.

Their injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

The man driving the Fiesta was not hurt.

Fire crews were called from Maindee and Malpas to help free the three who were trapped using hydraulic cutting equipment.

The westbound SDR carriageway was closed between the Stevenson Street and Usk Way junctions while officers investigated and a contraflow was set up on the eastbound carriageway to alleviate traffic.

The crash, on a busy route through the city, caused big tailbacks in both directions as cars queued in both directions following the smash.

Some drivers were reporting that it was taking an hour to drive across the city.

The contraflow was still in effect as rush-hour traffic kicked in, causing traffic delays in the surrounding area.

The road was re-opened at about 5.45pm.