Horse and motorcyclist die in road accident

A motorcyclist and a horse have both died after colliding on a road in Hampshire.

The accident happened on the A31 near Ringwood, in the New Forest, on Wednesday (22 January).

The accident, which is being referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), involved 2 motorcyclists, both of which were taken to hospital.

One of the men, a 31-year-old from Bournemouth, was later pronounced dead.

Both motorcyclists had been stuck in traffic as police tried to locate a horse loose on the road.

Before the crash, at about 6.15pm, police had advised motorists to “proceed with caution” because of the possibility of “animals in the carriageway”.

A force spokesman said: “This element of the incident has been referred by Hampshire Constabulary to the IPCC and we await a decision on how this will be investigated.”

Hampshire Constabulary is investigating how the horse, which died at the scene, came to be on the carriageway. The second motorcyclist remains in a serious condition.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to contact the Road Death Investigation team at Eastleigh, quoting Operation Hedingham, on 101.

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