A young man was fighting for his life today after he lost control of a stolen car and hit a lamppost while being pursued by police.

The driver, thought to be in his 20s, was trapped in the wreckage of the car at Woodside Road, Wyke, Bradford, for almost an hour while emergency services tried to free him.

The Ford Sierra had sped away from a police car minutes earlier as officers instructed it to pull over for a routine check on the A58.

A police spokesman said the incident began at 2.06 am when the traffic unit started following the Sierra at "a safe distance" as it travelled from Chain Bar towards Wyke.

After the car turned on to the A641, the police vehicle lost sight of it but then heard a crash as it hit the lamppost.

The accident occurred at the junction of Woodside Road and High Fernley Road at 2.09am and officers were quickly on hand to help the man. Firefighters and ambulance crew were immediately called to the scene.

Station Officer Bob Yorke, of Odsal fire station, said: "The car was coming from Brighouse towards Odsal and obviously lost control in the icy conditions on the brow of the hill.

"The car slid sideways and hit a lamppost at the side of the road."

He said the driver suffered serious leg injuries as well as wounds to his face, chest and arms.

"We had to wait for a surgeon to give us the go-ahead before we could cut him out," said Mr Yorke.

An ambulance service spokesman confirmed that a special medical crew had been called from BRI and said the casualty had sustained "very serious leg injuries".

The man was eventually freed at about 3am and taken to Bradford Royal Infirmary. He was today said to be in a critical condition.

Police said they were today trying to establish the driver's identity as well as the owner of the car which had been stolen in the Dewsbury area.

Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to contact (01274) 376649.

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