AN ELDERLY woman and a man had to be cut free from the wreckage of their car after it plummeted down a verge in Kilwinning.

The pair had been driving along Lochlibo Road, Torranyard at around 1.30pm on Sunday, December 7, when their car veered off the road and down an embankment.

Emergency crews attended the scene and found an elderly woman and an adult male trapped within the vehicle.

It is understood the vehicle lost control after coming into contact with snow on the road.

Watch Manager Paul Timmons, the incident commander, said: “Our crews arrived to find a man and woman still inside the car, which had left the snow-affected road before travelling down a verge.

“We worked alongside our ambulance colleagues to establish the safest means of releasing the casualties and deploying hydraulic rescue equipment to remove the vehicle’s rear seats.

“This created the space needed to free them and they were then taken to Crosshouse Hospital for precautionary check-ups.” After successfully releasing the casualties, the SFRS crews from Ardrossan and Dreghorn continued working to make the scene safe for other road users.

Paramedics assessed a third person who had exited the car before emergency services arrive and who appeared not to have sustained injuries.

Watch Manager Timmons urged drivers to be extra cautious when making any journeys this winter.

He said: “The weather has definitely turned for the worse in the past couple of days so we would urge everyone to keep the conditions in mind whenever they’re on the road.

“Snow, sleet and rain all reduce visibility and mean slippery road surfaces, making it more likely people will experience a collision. It can happen to any of us but there are things we can do to reduce the risk.

“Driving at a safe speed – one that’s appropriate for the conditions as well as within the limit – will help protect ourselves, our passengers and others.

“It’s important that drivers remember it takes a much bigger distance to stop when the road is wet, so we always need to make sure there’s a big enough gap to the vehicle in front.” Further advice on how motorists can stay safe this winter is available from Transport Scotland at http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/ready-winter.