A BOGGY field saved the lives of three young people after their car tumbled off a country road, police revealed today.

The accident, on Jackson Heights Road at Pickup Bank, near Hoddlesden, happened at 3.45pm yesterday. Fire officers worked in 18in deep mud to free a 17-year-old girl from the vehicle..

The driver and his two passengers were taken to Blackburn Infirmary with whiplash and shock.

It is believed the Renault Clio tumbled end over end 40 foot off the road into the muddy bog.

Police said the bog had cushioned the rolling car and what could have been a fatal accident was less serious as a result.

The two passengers were Andrew Guest, 20, of Ambleside Avenue, Rawtenstall, and Jade McFadden, 17, of East Street, Helmshore.

The driver was Carl Tait, 19, ofKemp Avenue, Rochdale. The three are all work colleagues, police said.

Miss McFadden was trapped in the back seat of the car, complaining of back pains. Fire crews had to cut off the top of the car using hydraulic equipment and put her on a 'long board' as a precautionary measure.

The car was travelling towards Darwen on a straight stretch at the time of the crash.

PC Mark Royle-Evatt, of Accrington road policing unit, said: "It's a wonder it wasn't more serious.

"It was very lucky for the driver that the marsh ground was on the left.

"The impact was taken out on the marshy ground. Had it been solid ground we would have been looking at very serious injuries indeed. On the right was a 40 to 50ft drop. The worst injury sustained is whiplash and shock."

PC Royle-Evatt said he was investigating why Mr Tait lost control and he was due to be interviewed.

Jackson Heights Road joins Grane Road, which has been the subject of a long campaign to reduce road accidents.

Two weeks ago, a two-car smash demolished the front of cottages situated on a stretch of the Grane Road. This led to calls to reduce the speed limit there from 50mph to 30mph.