A PENSIONER escaped with only minor injuries when his Land Rover collided with a lorry and overturned on a busy slip road.

John Staveley, 67, was driving home to Lancaster shortly before 7am yesterday after dropping a friend at Manchester Airport.

As he drove his silver Land Rover Discovery on to the slip road at Haslingden leading to the A56 towards Blackburn, the vehicle collided with a tipper lorry which was trying to get into the same lane.

The impact caused the vehicle to turn in the road and then topple over on to its roof.

A fire crew from Rawtenstall freed Mr Staveley from the vehicle, and he was taken by ambulance to Fairfield General Hospital in Bury, to be treated for minor head injuries.

Lorry driver, Connor Hughes from Wigan, was unharmed.

Traffic tailbacks quickly built up on the M66, and took several hours to clear.

The accident occurred only a day after there were two collisions in as many hours on the A56.

Sgt Martin Bishop said: "Incidents do happen on the bypass, but the numbers are commensurate with the sheer volume of traffic and the speed vehicles travel along the stretch.

"We have engineered some parts of the road to improve safety, and that has helped reduce the number of incidents.

"However we would in general advise motorists to drive safely and not to drink and drive, particularly over the Christmas period."