Two people have died and a third suffered life-threatening injuries after a light aircraft crashed in woodland near an airfield in England.

The plane came down in Blackwood Forest, close to Popham in Hampshire and 25 firefighters were dealing with the incident.

Ambulance crews and paramedics were also at the scene of the accident.

A spokeswoman for South Central Ambulance Service said it was alerted to the crash at 3.28pm. She said two people were declared dead at the scene.

A third was taken by land ambulance to Southampton General Hospital and is in a life-threatening condition.

An air ambulance was sent to the scene along with three ambulances, three rapid response cars and an ambulance doctor.

A Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "A light aircraft came down and overturned in a patch of woodland half a mile south of A303 just down from Popham at Blackwood Forest.

"We are there assisting with the operation and we are trying to establish what we are dealing with there. We have 25 firefighters at the scene."