A POLICEMAN was recovering yesterday after being injured during a car chase.

PC James Noble suffered whiplash and slight leg injuries when the police Volvo estate he was travelling in crashed while chasing a stolen Ford Granada towing a trailer.

The drama began just before 10pm on Wednesday when the Granada, which had been stolen from Harrogate, pulled up at a house in Boroughbridge Road, York.

A trailer carrying a motorbike was hitched to the car, which drove off towards the centre of the city. Police were alerted and minutes later officers saw the car in Holgate Road. They lost sight of it briefly but spotted it in Tadcaster Road.

However, the Granada sped off at 50mph down Tadcaster Road and went through red traffic lights, heading towards Askham Bar.

The stolen car had a tyre blow-out while negotiating the Askham Bar interchange but managed to continue on to the A64 heading for Leeds.

Traffic officers took over the pursuit and the car was finally stopped on the westbound carriageway of the A64 at Copmanthorpe.

One man escaped fromfrom the vehicle and a police dog team was called in to search the surrounding countryside. Despite a lengthy trawl of the area, no one was found.

One witness, who drove past the scene, said: "It was quite a dramatic sight. It looked like the car and the trailer had jack-knifed and the trailer had ended up in front of the car.

"There were two police Volvos there and I could see one of them had had a bit of a knock.

"It's lucky nobody was seriously hurt."