Three men injured after car hits tree

TWO men were in a critical condition and a third seriously injured after their car hit a tree and was left hanging over a 5ft ditch.

Firefighters cut the three men from the vehicle after it left the road in East Ayrshire, in the early hours of yesterday.

Police said a 22-year-old was driving his Vauxhall Astra on Barony Road, Auchinleck when the accident happened.

The driver and his 24-year-old front seat passenger were taken to Ayr Hospital, where last night their condition was described as critical.

A 36-year-old passenger is in a serious condition in hospital in Kilmarnock. The impact of the crash ripped the car's engine out.

Strathclyde Fire Brigade said: "The firefighters found the three seriously injured occupants trapped inside the car which was teetering on the 5ft-high bank of the ditch."