A ‘hero’ pulled a woman from the flames after a collision in Watling Street in which a motorcyclist was killed.

Police were called to the A5183 in Elstree, opposite North Medburn Farm, at around 6.50pm yesterday following reports that a red Honda motorcycle had collided with a black Mercedes SLK.

The motorcyclist, a 27-year-old man from London, was pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver of the Mercedes, a woman in her late 20s from Radlett, was taken to Barnet hospital with serious injuries, where she remains in a critical condition.

Witnesses reported seeing a man pull the motorcyclist and driver of the car away from the burning vehicles.

The 33-year-old man from Watford is currently in hospital in a stable condition.

Carl Valaass, 17, who works in Borehamwood and Elstree, was driving along Watling Street when the incident happened.

He said: “I looked up further ahead as I heard a few people screaming and a loud noise, and the car just exploded in front of me. Although I didn’t see the actual collision, the car just seemed to detonate as they collided.

“People were jumping out their cars to help and I saw a man go towards the car and pull the driver out even though it was already on fire.”

Borehamwood Fire service also attended following a report that a vehicle had caught fire.

Richard Clark, who lives at North Medburn Farm, said he saw a cloud of black smoke above the road and had gone to the scene to find out what had happened.

He said: “When we saw the scene, all we could see was a huge fireball in the middle of the road, with a motorbike embedded in the car.”

The road between Butterfly Lane and the Wagon and Horses pub was closed off until earlier today, as emergency services and the Highways Agency cleared the area.

Staff at the Waggon and Horses pub heard noises coming from the road, but said they couldn’t see much as it happened further down the road.

Investigating officer, PC Gareth Rees from the Road Crash Investigation Team, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who passed away.

“I am appealing for anyone who witnessed the events leading up to the collision, or who saw the collision take place, to contact police as soon as possible. Any information you provide could significantly help with our enquiries.”

Anyone with information should contact PC Rees by calling the non-emergency number 101.