TWO men had to be airlifted to hospital with serious injuries after a small plane crashed near a south Ayrshire village.

Just after 4pm on Tuesday, emergency services were called to Ladykirk House, Monkton, where a small aircraft had crashed.

It is less than two miles from Prestwick Airport.

READ MORE: Six arrests as 'emergency worker assaulted' at St George's Day rally

HM Coastguard said it airlifted the two men to Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, while the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) sent two pumps and two specialist appliances to the scene, before leaving at 7.08pm.

An SFRS spokesman added: “We were alerted at 4.05pm to reports of a small aircraft crash.

“We are no longer in attendance. The last appliance remained on scene until 19.08pm.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Around 4.10pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, we received a report of a small aircraft having crashed in a field near to the A719 at Monkton.

“Emergency services attended and two men aged 65 and 75 were taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital by helicopter for treatment to serious injuries.

“The A719 was closed at the B739, Monkton and reopened around 7.30pm. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”