Three people were cut free from their cars by firefighters after two separate crashes in Hitchin and Stevenage yesterday.

Emergency services were first called to the A602 Park Way in Hitchin just before midday after a collision between a Peugeot 206 and a VW Polo.

Crews from both the Hitchin and Baldock & Letchworth fire stations used cutting equipment to remove the roof of one of the cars and free two people who were trapped inside.

Both were treated by the ambulance service and taken to Lister Hospital in Stevenage with what a police spokeswoman said were believed to be minor injuries.

The A602 was blocked during the rescue operation and subsequent vehicle recoveries, with the scene cleared by 3pm.

Emergency services were then called out just after 1pm to North Road in Stevenage at the junction for Coreys Mill Lane after a car overturned.

Stevenage’s Green Watch crews used cutting equipment to free the female driver inside.

Ambulance crews provided medical treatment, but it is not yet clear the extent of the woman’s injuries.

Two parked vehicles were also damaged during the incident, which saw road closures lifted by 2.30pm.