Man killed in Ashburton crash

A man has been killed in a crash near Ashburton tonight.

Police said the man's car left the road on a bend at Lismore and hit a power pole about 7pm.

He was believed to have been killed on impact. His name would not be released until next of kin had ben told, Ashburton Police Sergeant Vicki Walker said.

She said the cause of the crash was unknown at this stage but there did not appear to be any skidmarks or braking marks on the road.

The crash brought down power lines and cut power to the area.

A Fonterra milk tanker driver who was first on the scene said he was about 1km away when he saw the car disappear in a cloud of dust.

He called emergency services but said the driver was dead when he got there.