A MOTORCYCLIST has been taken to hospital after being involved in a serious crash with a car earlier this morning.

Police officers and paramedics were called to Hockley Road, in Rayleigh, shortly after 10am following an incident involving a motorbike and a car.

According to eyewitnesses, an air ambulance was also spotted landing in a nearby field not far from the smash site, although it is unknown whether or not it had to be used as transportation.

It has, however, now been confirmed by Essex Police that the injured motorcyclist did have to be taken to hospital for treatment.

A spokesman for the force said: "We were called to reports of a collision involving a motorbike and a car in Hockley Road, Rayleigh at around 10.05am on Saturday October 24.

"The motorbike rider has been taken to hospital for treatment."

Stefan Overton, who lives nearby and said traffic became chaotic as a result of the incident, has described what he saw on his way home.

He said: “It took a long time to get onto my drive and it seems like an ongoing incident - the traffic was chaos.

“It looked like someone got knocked off their motorbike, there were two police cars, one ambulance, and a helicopter slightly further down the road in a field.

“It looked to be airlifting someone, but I could not see anyone injured, so I am not sure where the casualty was at that point.”

Essex Police is now asking for anyone who might have information about the crash, or dashcam or CCTV footage, to call 101 quoting incident 358 of 24 October.

The East of England Ambulance Service has been contacted for comment.