A postman is thought to have had a leg amputated after his own van rolled into him and crushed him in Bradford.

The 48-year-old had just delivered a parcel to Four Seasons Cafe on Little Horton Lane, Wibsey, when his Royal Mail vehicle pinned him against the cafe’s wall.

Mark Fairhead, owner of the cafe, said representatives of the Post Office visited him yesterday and said the postman had lost a leg.

The collision happened at 11.41am on Saturday, at Little Horton Lane’s junction with Frimley Drive.

Police said it is believed the van’s handbrake had not been put on. Mr Fairhead said the van rolled about 50 feet, from the direction of St Enoch’s Road and Lemon Street, past a bus-stop before swinging in a semi-circle direction backwards towards the cafe and pinning the postman against the wall.

Mr Fairhead, 48, said the postman had left a parcel on his counter moments before the incident.

“He left the shop and was looking down at his parcels,” said Mr Fairhead. “He didn’t see the van coming.

“The van hit the kerb and then hit him and pinned him against the wall.”

He added: “There was a lot of blood.”

Mr Fairhead was among “four or five” people who helped push the van off the trapped postman, who has been named locally as Colin. A bus driver is believed to have been one of the people who helped.

Mr Fairhead said: “We pushed the van off him and he fell to the floor. The handbrake wasn’t on and we were having to hold the van. I smashed a side window with a hammer to get in and put the handbrake on.”

The postman was pinned to the wall between the cafe’s main door and the window looking out onto Little Horton Lane. Police said he was taken to Leeds General Infirmary with head and leg injuries that were not deemed to be life-threatening.

Mr Fairhead continued: “I heard it as it hit the shop and I heard his scream.

“It was terrible. If the van had gone a foot either way he would have been OK. But his life has changed just like that.

“I hope the poor guy is OK.”

Mr Fairhead added: “He has been delivering parcels round here for ages. He is a lovely guy, a cheery postman.”

Royal Mail spokesman Felicity MacFarlane said: “Royal Mail can confirm that a postman sustained significant injuries on Saturday in an incident involving his van. We are currently investigating the circumstances. He is in hospital and we are doing all we can to support him and his family at this difficult time.”