An eight-year-old girl is critically ill in hospital after a single vehicle crash that killed her mother.

Dorset police said the 28-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene after the silver Vauxhall Astra she was driving left the road on the A35 Upton Bypass in Poole near the Baker’s Arms roundabout. The car landed in a ditch off the westbound carriageway. The girl was airlifted to Southampton general hospital.

Police said the woman was local to the area and the road was shut in both directions on Friday night.

Sgt Sarah Jones, of the force’s traffic unit, said: “Our thoughts are with their family at this very difficult time. We are carrying out a full and thorough investigation into this collision and I am keen to hear from anyone who was travelling along this stretch of the dual carriageway at the relevant time and witnessed the collision or the Astra being driven immediately before.

“I would also urge any motorists with dashcams fitted in their vehicles to please check their systems to see if they have any footage that may be relevant to my investigation.

“We closed this road to allow emergency services to treat those involved and for collision investigators to establish what happened. I would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”