A DRIVER was taken to hospital after a crash in Farnworth this afternoon.

Police reported that the driver, a 37-year-old man, suffered "serious injuries" in the incident at 1.15pm, in which he crashed his van into a tree.

A road closure was in place between the Mossfield Road junction and the Laburnum Road junction because of the accident, which was opposite The Fearns Primary Academy. It had re-opened by 3pm.

Nearby neighbour William Hillyard, aged 74, said: "I just heard this big bang outside and then afterwards I saw there was an ambulance there.

"It didn't see how it happened but it was obviously a bad one."

Another local resident added: "The entire house shook because of the crash. I looked outside and there was a van smashed into the tree. Then the ambulance came and took the driver away on a stretcher."

In February 17-year-old Latham Schofield was killed in another horror crash on the same stretch of road, which has become a blackspot for accidents.

In 2014, motorcyclist Foster Gee also died after suffering horrendous injuries when he hit a pedestrian island further along the road.

Farnworth councillor Noel Spencer said: "We have made changes to the road pattern and put speeding signs up in the last 18 months, but I have still heard reports of people speeding, especially at night, even though the signs are there to warn them.

"Had this driver not hit the tree then he would have gone through someone's front garden. It could have been a lot worse.

"Fingers crossed he will be okay and we are glad that no one else was involved. We will have to look at the road again."