A DRIVER is seriously ill in hospital after his car crashed through a fence and plunged down a 100-foot ravine near Burnley.

Ambulance paramedics, police, the police helicopter and firefighters were involved in an hour-long rescue operation following the accident in Bacup Road, Burnley, above the entrance to Ford Quarry late last night.

Police who were first on the scene found 39-year-old Ian Hampton of Burnley Road East, Waterfoot, standing in a stream and leaning against his badly damaged M-registered Peugeot 106.

He had suffered a broken pelvis and head injuries.

While paramedics looked after the injured man, firefighters put down three 100-feet rescue lines.

The police helicopter used its searchlights to illuminate the area and later used the thermal imaging camera to ensure no-one else had been thrown from the vehicle.

Mr Hampton, who remained conscious throughout, was put on a special scoop stretcher brought by the fire services incident support unit at Accrington. The stretcher was hauled up the steep, grassy slope while ambulance and firemen used the other two hand lines to hold it steady.

Police said Mr Hampton told his rescuers that he was a diabetic and may have fallen into a diabetic coma whilst driving.

He was taken to Burnley General Hospital and admitted to the intensive care unit where his condition today was described as stable but poorly. Fire Services Station officer Steve Cope said it was a well co-ordinated rescue operation involving members of all three services working together.

He said: "The car was 100 feet down a very steep slope or ravine.

"The car must have been airborne if it went through the fence at any speed. It had rolled over at least once but was on its wheels with the bonnet facing up the slope.

"The driver was either thrown out or crawled out because he was standing in the stream and leaning over the car when the first people got to him.

"Although he had serious injuries he was very lucky that it was not even worse.''

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