TWO people trapped in the wreckage of their cars were freed by firefighters after a smash on the M60 at Whitefield.

Officers used hydraulic equipment to cut the roofs from a Nissan Micra and a Ford Focus following the collision which resulted in four people being treated at Fairfield Hospital in Bury.

Police say that at around 9.15pm last Thursday, the red Nissan Micra stopped in lane two of the clockwise carriageway, next to the exit slip road for Junction 17 Whitefield, after suffering a puncture. The driver and two passengers remained in the car. A blue Ford Focus car was then in collision with the back of the Micra.

The Whitefield-based firefighters joined police and paramedics at the scene. Officers freed a 16-year-old boy who was a back seat passenger in the Micra and the 33-year-old male driver of the Focus, both of whom had been trapped. They were taken to hospital along with a 19-year-old man who was driving the Nissan. All suffered what police described as serious but non life-threatening injuries.

A 19-year-old man travelling in the front of the Micra was also treated at Fairfield for minor injuries and was later discharged.

Following the collision, three lanes of the M60 clockwise around Junction 17 were closed for four hours while officers dealt with the incident. The carriageway was reopened at approximately 1am.

Witnesses are asked to contact Greater Manchester Police on 0161 856 1550.