TWO men were taken to hospital after the car they were travelling in was in collision with a bus just before 8am today.

The crash happened on the A666 near the Engineers Arms, Duckworth Street.

Emergency services attended and fire crews cut the car driver from the wreckage.

Passers-by also helped tend to the injured man. He was taken to Blackburn Royal Infirmary with a suspected fractured right leg.

His passenger suffered slight injuries. No-one on the bus was hurt.

A spokesperson for Darwen fire service said: "Officers from Darwen and Accrington attended the accident and used cutting equipment to free the driver from the wreckage.

"The passenger had managed to free himself from the car and was receiving treatment from paramedics on our arrival."

Barry O'Connor, who owns Margaret's Cafe, Duckworth Street, said: "The passenger of the car got out, the driver was panicking and trying to get his legs out but he was trapped. It was a good 50 minutes before they got him out."

Mr Graham Strong, who works in the cafe, climbed into the injured man's car. He said: "I just told him to take a deep breath and try to relax."

Mr Strong added: "The bus driver was shaken and so were the passengers but everybody was all right. I made the driver a drink." He was concerned but there was nothing he could have done, he thought it was worse than it actually was."