DOCTORS are delighted with the progress being made by a 38-year-old Haslingden man who suffered serious head injuries in a road crash.

The man, who has not been named, is out of intensive care and has been moved to a neurological ward at Royal Preston Hospital.

He was injured when his van was in collision with a Renault car on Bradshaw Road, Bolton, on Friday morning. He was airlifted to hospital and had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot on his brain.

Sgt Barry Fairclough of Bolton Road Traffic Unit said: "The doctors are very, very pleased with his progress. He has been moved out of intensive care, is off the ventilator and is trying to communicate with staff."

The driver of the Renault, a 20-year-old man, died later of his injuries in hospital. The high performance Renault V6 car was being taken on a test run at the time with another man, a 22-year-old from Leigh.

Police said it mounted the kerb, crossed over to the other side of the road and hit the Clitheroe van, which was catapulted off the road and landed 15 feet down an embankment.