Two people have been killed in separate motor vehicle accidents in Waikato last night, barely a day before the official start of the Labour Weekend holiday period.

In the first fatality a man died after being trapped in his car after it rolled down a bank on Waring Rd near Taupiri, about 6pm.

He died at the scene, a police spokesman said.

In the second accident, a person died following a two-car collision on Ohaupo Road on the outskirts of Hamilton about 6.30pm.

Other people were understood to have been injured in the cash, but no further details were available last night.

Police attended the accident, with the Serious Crash Unit blocking the road and putting diversions in place near Dixon and Raynes Rds.

Mike and Kaye Bennett said the accident happened right outside their home at Dansland Farm.

While they did not see what happened, they called police after hearing a ‘‘massive, big bang’’.

Mrs Bennett said she could see one car on the side of the road and another on the road, and that fire, ambulance and police services arrived in force and were still there nearly two hours later.

She said there was no apparent reason for the accident which occurred on what she called, ‘‘just a sweeping corner’’, and accidents there were not common.

‘‘I don’t know what happened, but they’re not letting anyone through, so it must have been pretty bad,’’ she said.

The deaths come as a dismal weather forecast looks set to put a dampener on most Labour Weekend activities in the Waikato.

The region’s road policing manager was yesterday hoping it might keep people safe on the roads.

‘ ‘Wet weather has a tendency to moderate the speed of traffic, so it could be a plus,’’ Inspector Leo Tooman told the Waikato Times.

Mr Tooman will be hoping the region will emulate last year’s Labour Weekend road toll statistics with no Waikato fatalities, despite a national road toll of seven.

The Labour Weekend holiday period starts at 4pm this afternoon and ends at 6am on Tuesday

- © Fairfax NZ News