A WAREHOUSE worker suffered serious spinal injuries after a vehicle fell on him yesterday.

The accident happened at about 8.45am, at Midland Steel Traders, a specialist distributor of mining equipment, in Birtley, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham.

The vehicle tipped over, trapping the 43-year-old victim. Firefighters stabilised the vehicle and freed the man.

Paramedics took him to Gateshead's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he was being treated for spinal injuries last night.

No one was available for comment yesterday at Midland Steel Traders offices on the Portobello Industrial Estate.