A MOTORIST escaped with minor injuries after his vintage ambulance smashed in to a tree outside Bovey Tracey. Police and paramedics dealt with the drama at Monk’s Way early on Saturday afternoon.

The old Bedford van suffered extensive damage to its front end after crashing off the road into a tangle of branches at 1pm on Saturday. An off-duty policeman was able to direct traffic while a paramedic - also off-duty - tended to the driver’s injured and bleeding hand. The casualty, in his 50s, was taken by ambulance to Torbay Hospital for further treatment.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident. The damaged vehicle was later recovered from the scene. One witness at the location said: ‘The vintage vehicle looked an absolute wreck. I’m glad to hear the driver was not seriously hurt because it looked like a pretty bad accident.’