Three people have died and two people have been taken to hospital in an incident at a Swanage care home.

Emergency services responded to a major incident at the Gainsborough Care Home in Ulwell Road shortly after 7am.

Multiple ambulances, fire engines and police are currently in attendance.

Dorset councillor Gary Suttle said: “I have been told by (Dorchester) social services there was a critical incident at the home. Three people are confirmed as dead and two people have been taken to hospital.

“Our condolences and sympathy are with those who have lost their lives in this tragic event.”

He added that all other residents are “safe and going to be relocated”.

The exact nature of the incident remains unclear, but authorities are urging the public to avoid the area as the situation develops.

South Western Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 5.20am today to an incident at a care home in Swanage.

"We sent a Hazardous Area Response Team, ten double-crewed ambulances and a significant number of additional resources.

"Two patients were conveyed by ambulance to Poole Hospital."

The Gainsborough care home, run by Agincare, is a 48 bedroom facility split over two floors, according to Agincare's website.

People living on Ulwell Road saw residents being evacuated amid a heavy emergency services presence outside the home.

One man, who did not want to give his name, said: “They evacuated the care home, Gainsborough Care Home.

“They have taken all the patients out but the emergency services are still on the scene.”

He said he saw some residents being evacuated in wheelchairs.

He believed emergency services arrived around 7am on Wednesday and he started to see people being moved out at around 8.30am.

He estimated there were two fire engines, three to four police cars and around eight or nine ambulances at the scene, where the road remains closed.

Another woman has described seeing multiple emergency vehicles arriving at the scene via ferry.

Patricia Garnel said "they keep coming" and that she had also seen more police cars go past.

"There’s more ambulances waiting to get in the ferry," she added.

The Sandbanks Ferry is usually the fastest way to reach Swanage and Purbeck from the Poole and Bournemouth area.

In addition, Morebus has reported delays to its services due to the ongoing disruption.

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said crews were called to the scene at 7.47am.

Group manager Neil Tidball said: "We currently have four fire crews on scene from Swanage, Wareham, Westbourne, Poole, a support vehicle from Dorchester, along with two crews from Winchester.

Pictures from the scene in Swanage this morningPictures from the scene in Swanage this morning (Image: Newsquest)

"Firefighters are working with Dorset Police, South West Ambulance Service and other partners to resolve this incident."

Katie Lobban, a spokesperson for Southern Gas Network said: “We were called to Gainsborough Care Home in Swanage earlier today in our capacity as the national gas emergency service for the south of England.

“Our engineers are waiting for access to the building to complete safety checks.

“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected by this tragic incident.”

Our reporter, Matt Simpson, is at the scene and will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available.

A Dorset Police spokesman has confirmed three people were found dead at a care home in Ulwell Road, Swanage, with an investigation launched because their deaths are being treated as “unexplained”.

“Four other people have been taken to hospital as a precaution and other residents of the address have been evacuated to a safe location as emergency services respond to the incident,” the spokesman said.

“There remains a significant multi-agency presence in place at the address and a cordon remains in place as we work with partners to carry out further enquiries.

“At this time there is nothing to indicate any risk to the wider public.”

He added: “We understand this incident will have a significant impact on the Swanage community and our thoughts are very much with the families of those who have sadly died at this extremely difficult time.”

If you have any information or witnessed the event, contact us at newsdesk@bournemouthecho.co.uk.