A ROADSWEEPER was shunted across a road, smashed through a wall and flipped onto its side in a horror crash with a van today.

Both vehicles were heading in the same direction when the incident happened in Harwood Road, Great Harwood, at 10.20am.

Police said the van had run into the back of the three-ton £70,000 Hyndburn Council roadsweeper, which had been in a dip in the 60mph road, just after a sharp corner.

The front end of the van was crushed and driver Peter Eastwood, 39, lost some of his teeth in the impact and had to be cut out of the wreckage.

He was taken to hospital with suspected spinal injuries.

Mick Daley, the 41-year-old driver of the roadsweeper, was also taken by ambulance to hospital suffering from back injuries, with paramedics moving him via a spinal board.

Accident investigators were at the scene, which was where Harwood Road turns into Blackburn Old Road, for around four hours.

The road was closed at its junction with Wilpshire Road, next to the Spice Lounge, and Goldacre Lane in the other direction.

All three emergency services and Hyndburn Council staff were in attendance.

Police said Mr Eastwood’s white builders van had been travelling towards Blackburn from Great Harwood.

The roadsweeper had also been heading in that direction, on the same side of the road.

Hyndburn Council confirmed their employee Mr Daley, from Accrington, was on routine duties at the time.

A police spokesman said: “A road traffic collision investigation is being currently being carried out during which we will look at the circumstances surrounding the collision.”