A MOTORIST was trapped in his badly damaged van after it came off the A64 near York early today.

Firefighters used hydraulic cutting equipment to free the 25-year-old man from the Vauxhall Transit van.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the man was taken to hospital by ambulance but was very fortunate to have escaped with only superficial injuries, as the van was ‘in quite a few bits.’

The accident happened at just after 4am on the westbound carriageway between Grimston Bar and the Fulford interchange.

The carriageway was closed to traffic following the accident but re-opened later.