FOUR men have been injured in a 'serious' crash in Bolton town centre.

The incident happened at about 8.55pm in Marsden Road when a black BMW 320D and a silver Nissan 350z convertible collided at the junction of Marsden Road, Spa Road, Moor Lane and Deansgate.

The Nissan had been travelling northwards along Moor Lane with a third vehicle while the BMW was travelling in a southerly direction along Marsden Road.

The third vehicle, which has not yet been identified, left the scene.

The driver of the Nissan, a 58-year-old man, suffered concussion and bruising.

The driver of the BMW, a 76-year-old man, suffered an injury to his ankle while three other passengers were also injured.

A 58 year old man suffered minor injuries to his legs and an 81-year-old man suffered serious facial and ankle injuries. A third passenger, 54, had minor injuries

A witness said that four elderly Asian men were in the BMW and another man had to be rescued after smoke was seen coming out of the Nissan.

Christine Fitton, aged 42, heard the crash from her partner's home at the junction and rang 999.

She said: "I have heard a few smashes in my time but that was definitely the worst of all. It was horrific. It looked to me like it was head on because of the damage but I couldn't be sure.

"I didn't see the crash itself but I heard a big bang. We looked out of the window and saw the Nissan near the Gypsies Tent pub and the other car had gone into Marsden Bridge.

"There were four Asian men in the BMW who were quite elderly.

"About 10 or 15 men were frantically trying to get the man out of the Nissan because there was smoke coming out of it. I rang the emergency services straight away because I thought it was going to set on fire."

Firefighters from Bolton Central, Bolton North and Leigh were called to the scene where one man was trapped in his car.

Five men in total were taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary, Royal Bolton Hospital and Salford Royal Infirmary hospitals.

One man had serious chest injuries and the other had severe head and spinal injuries.

Ms Fitton added: "Watching the whole thing I was so impressed with the way the emergency services handled it — they worked together brilliantly."

Anyone with any information about the incident should contact Greater Manchester Police on 101.