TWO separate road accidents took place within a couple of hundred yards of each other in Betws-y-Coed yesterday.

The second resulted in a motorcyclist and pillion passenger being airlifted to hospital. The motor cyclist suffered serious injuries, while the passenger wasn’t as badly injured. This accident yesterday evening took place near the Cotswolds Rock Bottom shop.

About five hours earlier a coach was involved in a collision with a wall the other side of the Waterloo Bridge at the junction of the A5 and the A470. No-one was injured in this incident.

A Wales Ambulance spokesman said: “We were called at about 8.35pm last night to reports a motorbike had collided with a wall in Betws y Coed.

“We sent three crews in emergency ambulances and a search and rescue helicopter and a man was taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd by road with serious injuries, along with a second casualty whose injuries are unknown.”

A North Wales Police spokesman said: “A motorcyclist suffered serious injuries following a road traffic collision in Betws-y-Coed last night.

“Shortly before 8pm we were notified of a one vehicle collision where a motorcycle had collided with a lamp post outside the Cotswolds Rock Bottom shop in Betws-y-Coed.

“Both the rider and his pillion passenger were taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. The rider has since been transferred to a hospital in Stoke on Trent with multiple injuries.”

Sergeant Raymond Williams of the Roads Policing Unit said: “We hope the motorcyclist and his passenger make a good recovery. We are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision, or who may have seen the 16 plate Yamaha 900cc silver coloured motorcycle being ridden prior to the incident to contact us.”

Anyone with any information or dash-cam footage relating to the incident is urged to call the Roads Policing Unit on 101 quoting reference 18300062678