A MOTORIST escaped with minor injuries when his car struck a lamppost and flipped onto its roof as high winds, sleet and rain battered roads in Bolton throughout the weekend.

Emergency crews were called to Blackburn Road, Egerton, near to the Cross Guns public house, just after 8pm on Saturday. The driver was helped from the car by paramedics.

The man, who has not been named by police, was taken to the Royal Bolton Hospital for treatment to cuts and bruises.

The incident came after storm blizzards wreaked havoc across parts of northern Britain. The Met Office reported gusts reaching 60mph. Snow drifts in North Yorkshire were 20ft deep.

RAF helicopters rescued casualties after a 29-vehicle pile-up on the A1M in North Yorkshire. A 75-year-old man died after his car was swept into a river in Sutherland and a motorist was killed when his car skidded and ploughed into a lamp-post in Peterlee.

In Cumbria, a fire crew in Penrith were forced to dig their way out of their station after a snow drift blocked them in. Over 2,500 homes also went without electricity as powerlines were brought down.