A MAN was taken to hospital in a critical condition after the 4x4 he was driving plunged into a ditch in wet conditions.

The incident happened just before 9.30am on Saturday morning (June 15) when a Nissan Navara pick-up truck careered off the B4234 New Road in Whitecroft, near the Dean Forest Railway.

Police who rushed to the scene alongside fire and ambulance crews closed the road for several hours, while the air ambulance also attended.

The driver of the Nissan, a man in his 30s from the Chepstow area, was rescued from the vehicle by firefighters from Lydney and Coleford.

He was driven by ambulance to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with serious injuries, and police later described his condition as critical.

Anyone who witnessed the collision or the crashed pick-up truck following the collision but hasn’t spoken to police should call 101 and quote incident 111 of 15 June.

Many took to social media to express their concern about the safety of the road, particularly when covered in water, with one woman saying it was the third accident this week.

A man posted: “That bit of road is lethal when it rains regardless of how slow or fast someone is going, especially around the bends.”