Driver is badly hurt in 300ft plunge

Motorists travelling behind the car in Scout Road, Belmont, called 999.

They described seeing a car “go off a cliff” at 7.40pm on Thursday.

Witnesses said the silver Mercedes saloon crashed through the safety barrier and rolled repeatedly down the hill, dragging the barrier with it, before coming to a stop near the Wilton Arms pub below in Belmont Road.

Two women, who had been at a retirement party at the pub with colleagues from furniture company the Dutch Connection, based in Halliwell, raced up the hill to the wrecked car.

Margaret Hilton, assistant manager at the Wilton Arms, said the women frantically opened the driver and passenger doors to search for the driver before finding him unconscious in the back of the car, where it appeared he had been flung during the crash.

The man, in his 50s, was taken out of the car by firefighters and taken to the Salford Royal Hospital with head, neck and chest injuries.

His condition is described as serious but is not thought to be life threatening.

Three fire crews, Bolton Mountain Rescue Team and a police helicopter scoured the scene to make sure nobody had been thrown from the car.

Mrs Hilton said: “The customers were just getting into their cars when they saw the car rolling down the hill and ran up to help.

“When I saw where he had come from and where the car was I didn’t know how he had managed to come out alive.”

She called for more signs along Scout Road to warn people about the sharp bends and deer crossing the road.

Mrs Hilton said: “I don’t think people realise how much of a bend it is. You have got to slow right down and it looks like he just went through it.”

Gary Hodson, watch manager at Bolton North fire station, added: “We were worried there might have been someone else in the car. So the police helicopter went up and the thermal imaging camera was used to make sure there was no one else involved.”

Police are investigating the incident.