One of singer Bryan Ferry's sons is critically ill in hospital following a car crash, the BBC understands.

Merlin Ferry, 24, is believed to have been cut free by firefighters after a collision near the village of Cound, Shropshire on Monday evening. West Midlands Ambulance said the trapped man had suffered a head injury plus multiple fractures to his legs, pelvis and left arm.

Merlin's brother Otis thanked fire crews for their efforts on Twitter. "Thank you for extracting my Brother alive from what looks like a mangled box of tin," he said. "We are all continuing to pray."



A Mercedes, a Volvo Saloon and a Scania lorry were involved in the crash on the A458, a few miles outside Shrewsbury. There was a small fire in the second car, but the driver, a 49-year-old man, was able to escape with just cuts and bruises.

A spokesman for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham confirmed a 24-year-old called Merlin Ferry was in a "critical" condition.

Wellington Fire Service said the operation to free the man had been "a difficult extraction due to the impact involved".

Bryan Ferry has achieved international success as a solo artist and with his group Roxy Music. Merlin accompanied his siblings Otis, Isaac and Tara to Buckingham Palace three years ago to see their father receive a CBE.