Six people were taken to hospital following two crashes on the M77 in East Ayrshire today.

A man was cut free from a car which crashed on the southbound carriageway near Kilmarnock at 10.15am.

A woman and boy had managed to get out of the car before the fire service arrived.

Shortly afterwards, a couple were freed from a car on the northbound carriageway a mile away. A second man had escaped before firefighters arrived.

Casualties were treated at the scenes before being taken to Crosshouse hospital.

Station Manager David McCarrey, who was incident commander at the scene of the second collision, said: "It's obviously unusual to have separate collisions on the same stretch of road within such a short space of time.

"The emergency services worked extremely closely throughout both incidents to help the casualties and protect other road users.

"Firefighters were operating side-by-side with ambulance paramedics to ensure those who were trapped in the vehicles received immediate treatment and were safely and swiftly released. Our police colleagues closed both carriageways while ensuring other emergency vehicles could access the scenes."

He said their thoughts were with the people involved and warned that people should do everything they can to miminise the risks of being involved in an accident in wintry weather.

Bright winter sun low on the horizon or reflected from surfaces can dazzle drivers or cause reduced visibility, so the advice is always to stay aware of the conditions and make sure to drive at an appropriate speed within the limit.

Rain, surface water and ice all increase the risk of a driver losing control and increase the distance required to bring a vehicle to a safe stop.

Station Manager McCarrey added: "The fact is winter weather does make it all too easy for any motorist to experience a collision.

"It can happen to any of us - no matter how much experience we have as drivers - but always being aware of the weather and surface conditions we can all reduce that risk."

More advice on how motorists can stay safe this winter is available from Transport Scotland at www.transportscotland.gov.uk/ready-winter.