A DRIVER was rescued from a car which had struck a van in Darwen yesterday.

Firefighters dismantled the seats in the compact BMW to remove the driver following the accident at 10.10am on Marsh House Lane.

The collision happened outside Marshmallows Nursery in Marsh House Lane.

Watch manager Stephen Harris said the car's airbag had deployed.

He said: "The guy was still inside the car and the paramedics were dealing him. He was suffering from severe back pain so we had to dismantle the rear seats and get him on to the stretcher through the back of the vehicle."

He was taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital.