A BLACK cab overturned and a passenger was flung through the rear window after a collision with a suspected drink driver.

Police said a motorist was travelling along Padiham Road, in Burnley, at around 12.45am today when his Jaguar XKR collided with the traditional black cab, close the junction with Lakeland Way.

The impact caused the taxi to roll over and subsequently one of its passengers was flung from the vehicle, through the rear window and into the road.

Police said that four people were ‘seriously injured’ in the accident but none were thought to be life-threatening.

According to officers, the road had to be closed for ‘quite some time’ while the accident investigation unit examined the scene.

Fire crews from Burnley also attened the scene and their officers were required to free two of the people involved in the accident.

One of the drivers of the vehicles involved in the crash suffered a broken cheekbone and the other was left with a number of significant injuries.

Police said the driver of the Jaguar XKR was arrested at the scene for driving under the influence of alcohol and was subsequently taken into custody where he was awaiting questioning.