END of term celebrations at Lancaster University almost ended in disaster after a doughnut van rolled down a hill and ploughed into an accommodation block.

A student asleep in his room was shaken but escaped unhurt after the van crashed through his window.

And a man trapped inside the van, which had earlier had been full of boiling fat to fry doughnuts, also had a lucky escape.

The Furness Extravaganza party ended at 4am in the morning and student organisers had started to tidy the outdoor site.

When contractors removed the handbrake on the van to attach it to another vehicle it rolled ten yards down a slope and crashed into a college building smashing a window.

The accident is thought to have occurred after a block behind the back wheels came loose. Throughout the night the van had been filled with boiling oil used for frying doughnuts.

Extravaganza organiser Chris Reich told the Citizen "I got a call on my radio telling me to go outside. When I arrived I saw a doughnut van sticking out of a residence block."

He added "When we discovered that someone had been inside the van I became very alarmed. Luckily the man was unhurt."

Ian Archer, the van's owner, had been inside preparing for its removal. He explained that a block which had been used to stop the truck from rolling down the hill had come loose.

Mr Archer stressed that the public had not been in danger.

He said: "My staff had been using the unit all night and we hadn't had a problem. We've operated safely on the same spot for the last three years and the block was inspected by the organisers. I've never had to claim on my insurance before and I never intend to again!"

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