A coach crash has left three people dead and many others seriously injured, when the vehicle overturned after colliding with a tree on an embankment.

The vehicle was travelling northbound on the A3 near Hindhead in Surrey at 11.50pm on Monday night when it left the road between the Hindhead tunnel and the exit for Thursley. No other vehicles are believed to have been involved.

Surrey Police said three people aboard the 51-seat coach were declared dead at the scene and a fourth passenger was airlifted to Southampton General Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

South East Coast Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust said that 50 people from the coach were taken to hospitals in the area.

They were taken to the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford, St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, St George's Hospital in Tooting, King's College Hospital in London, Frimley Park Hospital and Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.

The road was closed in both directions shortly after the incident, and Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue and South East Coast Ambulance Service all attended the scene, along with collision investigators.

The coach is from the Merseyside area and Surrey Police is working with its counterparts at Merseyside Police, as well as with the coach company, to identify the passengers and notify relatives.

Surrey Police later confirmed the coach had been returning from the Bestival event. She said the driver of the coach was among those killed.