A LORRY driver had a lucky escape yesterday after the container he was carrying struck a railway bridge and his cab was sheared from its rear axles.

The blue cab of the flat-bed lorry was sent skidding 35m along the road after the container struck the bridge over the A689 near Sedgefield, County Durham, at about 4.45pm.

The driver was freed from the cab, which had come to rest on its windscreen, by crews from Newton Aycliffe fire station. His injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.

A second vehicle hit the back on the container, but the driver was not thought to be seriously hurt.

The crash meant the road had to be closed for several hours and the East Coast Main Line was closed for an hour causing chaos for the rush-hour commuters.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "We had to close the main line between Darlington and Durham for about an hour while we inspected the bridge, but it was found to be okay and we started letting the trains back along that section at about 5.45pm.

"Obviously, this caused delays at the time which had a knock-on effect to the service for the next few hours until we could smooth things out."

One motorist caught in the traffic delays yards away from the crash said: "I don't understand how it happened. It's not a particularly big lorry and shouldn't have had any trouble getting under the bridge.

"Something must have happened with the container on the back because there are double-decker buses and all sorts use this road."