A man and a woman had to be cut free from the wreckage of a high performance car last night.

The BMW 3-series coupe flipped over and came to rest on its wheels during the accident near Dawson’s Corner, in Pudsey, at about 11.15pm.

The 40-year-old man driving the car and his front seat passenger, a 26-year-old woman from Yeadon, were taken to Leeds General Infirmary.

They were initially thought to be in a critical condition, but their injuries are not now thought to be life-threatening.

West Yorkshire Police said the man has a suspected broken shoulder and broken nose.

John Needham, crew manager at Stanningley Fire Station, said: "We got mobilised to a series collision on the ring road between Dawson’s Corner roundabout and the Rodley roundabout.

"The car had hit two lamp posts, flipped and come to rest on its wheels. When we arrived, the police were there and they had two people in the front seat in a critical state.

"It was a matter of chopping the roof off to gain access for the paramedics. The driver was a man and the passenger was a woman. I would say they were both in their 30s.

"The police were planning to close the road until dawn."

Sections of the A647 Stanningley Bypass and the A6120 Farsley Ring Road were closed as accident investigators examined the scene.

Police said the road reopened at 6.28am this morning.

A police spokesman said: "It looked quite spectacular and there was quite a lot of debris around and there is some suggestion there may have been a collision with a lamp posts.

"Neither of them have life-threatening injuries."

Two fire crews from Stanningley and one from Bradford attended the incident.