RAIL lines out of York had to be closed after a skip lorry smashed into a bridge.

British Transport Police closed two lines for 15 minutes after the accident at the junction of Leeman Road and Kingsland Terrace.

The lorry driver was taken to hospital by ambulance with serious leg injuries after the crash at about 4.20pm yesterday.

A green Toyota travelling in the opposite direction was damaged as the skip fell from the truck. The occupants were not hurt.

Police closed Leeman Road at its junctions with Station Rise and Water End for more than half an hour, causing delays for motorists, while engineers inspected the rail bridge and the vehicles were recovered.

A spokesman for Network Rail said no trains had been cancelled because of the incident, and delays were "negligible".

Updated: 10:26 Wednesday, May 25, 2005