A POLICEMAN was seriously injured and had to be cut free from his car after an accident while he was answering an emergency call.

Police today said 36-year-old PC Chris Giltrow-Shaw, from Burnley, was in a "poorly" condition on a ward in Burnley General Hospital.

He had been responding to an incident in the town centre pedestrianised area when he was called to a disturbance at the inquiry desk of Burnley Police Station at about 7.30pm on Saturday.

PC Giltrow-Shaw was driving his Vauxhall Astra police car from the precinct on Parker Lane on to Red Lion Street when there was a collision with a Volvo car.

Sub Officer Nigel Clark said firefighters cut the side off the Astra to allow paramedics to stretcher the injured policeman.

The Volvo driver, Gavin Griffin, of Bridge Street, Padiham, was uninjured.

Inspector John Grice said: "There was a person being violent at the inquiry desk and the woman on the other side of the screen requested assistance.

"Other officers from the station dealt with the incident and one man has been arrested and charged with a public order offence.

"Police accident investigators will be carrying out a full inquiry into the accident."

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