A MAN who was bleeding from a head injury after his car crashed on the A64 in York managed to make his way home to Derbyshire - despite an extensive police search for him.

Officers on foot, dog handlers, police on scrambler bikes and the Humberside force helicopter were used to search for the man, thought to be in his 20s, following the crash on the east-bound carriageway of the A64, near the turn-off to Askham Richard, some time before 8.30am yesterday.

The car, a Nissan Micra, was badly damaged - described by one witness as "in half" - after it hit a concrete bollard, crossed the pavement and ended up in a grass bank close to The Buckles Inn. It was found to be covered in blood and was later towed away. No other vehicle is thought to have been involved in the collision.

Police were alerted when a resident in Askham Bryan spotted the bleeding man in the village at about 8.30am and offered to help him. An ambulance was called but the man refused help from paramedics.

Concerned North Yorkshire Police officers later launched a search in the village and the nearby farms and woodland while inquiries were made at the car owner's registered address, The Palace Hotel, in Buxton, 80 miles away, where he works. At 6pm yesterday, police received a call from the hotel that the man had returned and had been taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

A spokeswoman from The Palace Hotel said today that the man, who she named as "Sean", was recovering well and had been discharged from hospital.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the extensive search was launched because officers were extremely concerned about the man's safety.

He said: "The whole thing was in relation to the welfare of the driver, rather than any offences that may or may not have been committed."

He said it was not known how the man made his way home, but it is believed he may have gone into York and caught a train.

Updated: 10:42 Monday, November 03, 2003