A motorcyclist and her pillion passenger have been taken to hospital after they were apparently blown off their bike by the wind on the M4 near Swindon this morning.

Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) received several 999 calls, the first at 11.46am, reporting the incident on the eastbound carriageway between Junctions 16 and 15.

Two ambulance crews arrived within minutes of each other, supported by a GWAS officer to liaise with other emergency services at the scene.

The crews reported that the two patients – a man and a woman, both believed to be in their 50s – were conscious and breathing, although there were concerns that the woman rider had initially lost consciousness due to a head injury she suffered in the impact.

She was placed on a spinal board and taken straight to the nearby Great Western Hospital, where she has undergone a CT scan for a potentially serious head injury.

Her male pillion passenger was also collared and boarded after being assessed, treated and stabilised on scene. He has also been taken to Great Western Hospital suffering a head and back injury, although his condition is not thought to be life threatening.

No other vehicles are thought to have been involved.

Two lanes of the M4 have been closed and are likely to remain closed until 4pm.