A BURY-born police officer who pulled a driver from the wreckage of his burning car moments before it exploded is to be presented with a bravery award.

PC Mohammed Abid Khan, a former student of the Darul-Uloom College in Holcombe Brook, was on patrol in Haslingden town centre when he saw a car driving the wrong way down a one-way street.

As the vehicle sped away from the 25-year-old officer, the car mounted a pavement and smashed into a bus shelter. The car burst into flames on impact.

PC Khan realised the seriously injured driver was trapped in the wreckage. Ignoring flames lapping the front seats, he reached in and dragged the driver to safety - seconds before the car exploded.

The driver of the car, which had been stolen, suffered a punctured lung, three broken ribs, facial cuts and bruising. He was later sent to a young offenders' institution for six months.

Praising PC Khan's bravery, Lancashire's Chief Constable Pauline Clare said had it not been for the officer's brave actions, the offender would have died. She added: "The officer acted in the highest tradition of the Lancashire Constabulary and is a worthy winner of the William Garnett Cup."

The William Garnett Cup, awarded annually to the police officer performing the most extreme act of bravery, will be presented to PC Khan on June 26.

PC Khan joined the Lancashire Constabulary only 18 months prior to the incident and was still a probationer.

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