Probe launched into rally car crash

An investigation is under way after a rally car left a track and careered into a crowd of spectators, injuring four people.

More than 200 spectators were at the Regency Stages Rally at the Royal Bath and West Showground in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, when the crash happened.

A father and his two sons were taken to hospital after being hit, with their conditions described by police tonight as non-life threatening.

A fourth person who was also struck by the car just before midday was treated at the scene and did not need to be hospitalised.

According to local reports, the accident happened when the car failed to make a bend, crashing into a crowd watching in a cordoned off spectator area.

The rally driver, who has not been named, was left "shocked" but otherwise unhurt by the crash, an Avon and Somerset Police spokesman said.

The two boys sustained leg injuries, not thought to be serious, while their father was airlifted to the Bath Royal United Hospital along with them.

A South Western Ambulance Service Trust spokeswoman said: "Our officer at the scene said this had the potential to be much more serious than fortunately it turned out to be."

The one-day Regency Stages Rally, organised by the Weston-super-Mare Motor Club, features 55 miles of Tarmac rallying across 10 stages.

Police said that following the crash, the rally course was altered to enable the show to continue until the end of the day.

"There is a joint investigation involving the police and the local authority into the incident," a police spokesman said.

No-one was available to comment tonight from the Weston-super-Mare Motor Club or the showground.