Drivers across Swindon are being urged to slow down after several accidents on the town's roads.

Emergency crews were kept busy yesterday as road surfaces were turned into dangerous skidpans by the wet weather.

Two motorbike accidents occurred within 25 minutes of each other at the Bruce Street Bridges, on Great Western Way.

The first happened at 7.15am, when a man came off his motorbike. He was taken by ambulance to Great Western Hospital with minor injuries minutes before paramedics were again called out.

At 7.37am, a woman fractured her left arm after falling off her skidding moped. She has since been discharged from hospital.

About 11.50am a Haydon Wick man was left with whiplash injuries after he lost control of his sports car at the Blagrove roundabout, near the Citroen garage.

The man, in his 30s, skidded as he travelled towards the town centre from the M4. His Mazda soft top turned a full circle, causing him to hit his head on the car's framework. He was taken to GWH.

The M4 was also causing motorists problems. A man in his 60s was left in shock after his car span out of control at 11.15am near junction 17, for Chippenham.

A few hours later a lorry changing lanes sideswiped a Nissan car near Membury Services. Both drivers managed to move on to the hard shoulder. No-one was hurt.

Acting Police Sergeant Bill Haley said the mixture of rain and oil on roads created a real danger for motorists. He said: "Petrol and oil has dripped on to the roads during the dry conditions we have had recently. When it starts to rain the roads become very slippery and dangerous. People are not taking this into account."

Meanwhile a Swindon woman was the only person injured in a five-vehicle pile up on the M4 near Newbury. At about 9am on Monday, four cars and an articulated lorry were involved in a collision at junction 13.

The woman, who was driving a Vauxhall Zafira, was taken to John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where her condition is critical, but stable.