AN ELDERLY man suffered potentially life-changing injuries in a crash.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the crash on the A127 on Sunday, shortly before 6pm.

It happened on the southbound carriageway near the junction with Rayleigh Downs Road.

A silver Toyota Avensis was in collision with the central reservation before leaving the road, hitting a tree and coming to stop in a ditch.

The driver of the car, a man believed to be in his 80s, was taken to hospital for treatment on broken vertebrae and a punctured lung.

His injuries are described as potentially life-changing.

A police spokesman said: "We need anyone who saw or has dash cam footage of the collision or the moments leading up to it to contact us."

Call 101 quoting incident 924 of January 19 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.