A GROUP of soldiers from Swindon have been hailed as heroes after tending to a motorcyclist who had been in a horror crash.

The team were on their way to a training session in Wales, when they came across a scene of carnage of the M48 Severn Bridge after two motorcyclists had collided on Saturday morning.

A man in his 20s was taken to hospital with leg and arm injuries following the road traffic collision, but paramedics have praised the soldiers and said without them it could have been much worse.

Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) paramedic Chris Hewett said: “On arrival we found that one of the motorcyclists was uninjured but the other had sustained minor ankle and knee injuries, and a serious open fracture to his right arm.

“The first people at the scene were some soldiers from Swindon who were on their way to Wales for training.

“Their assistance was invaluable, in fact teamwork was the key to providing care to this patient and we would like to thank the soldiers, Severn Bridge crews, the highways agency traffic officers and police for the seamless way they worked with us.”

The first reports to GWAS came at 9.20am saying that two motorcycles had collided on the westbound carriageway of the M48.

An ambulance and a paramedic in a rapid-response vehicle were sent to the scene.

Both sides of the road had to be closed while emergency services assessed the scene and stabilised the motorcyclist.

The patient was given pain relief through a drip before having his leg and arm splinted.

He was then taken to Frenchay Hospital, near Bristol, for further treatment.