Collision in Nelson Street, Burnden, Bolton, involving cyclist and van

The 52-year-old man was taken to Royal Bolton Hospital after the crash in Nelson Street, Burnden in Bolton.

Police were called to the scene at around 6.45am after the crash involving the cyclist and a Salford Van Hire vehicle.

Officers closed the road and traffic was diverted down nearby Lever Street while the cyclist was treated and the road was cleared.

A cordon was put in place at the end of Thynne Street, at the roundabout at Orlando Street and also on Nelson Street.

The road re-opened by around 9.30am and police were allowing vehicles to access businesses on the road prior to this.

Paul Ashworth from Greater Manchester Police's Specialist Operations Roads Policing Unit, was among the officers who attended the scene and spoke of the cyclist's lucky escape.

He said: "The cyclist has fortunately only suffered a broken ankle. We have spoken to the van driver and when he was tested there was no impairment.

"He will be interviewed at a later date when we have gathered the evidence.

"The bike was quite badly mangled. We initially shut the road as a precaution."

He added that the cyclist was being checked over at the hospital.

The crash took place near the junction of Nelson Street and Lever Street.

Police were seen clearing debris from the road and eyewitnesses reported seeing the damaged bike on the pavement.

A recovery vehicle arrived at the scene and was seen taking the van away to be inspected.

Garages and other auto–businesses are based in Nelson Street and a number of employees arrived in work to find the road sealed off.

One worker said: "When we got in this morning the road was all closed. We got in at about 7.50am, there was police cars here and the road was all closed off.

"I couldn't see anything really, except there was a bike on the pavement."

A North West Ambulance Service spokesman said a rapid response vehicle and an ambulance were both sent to the scene and a man with leg injuries was taken to hospital.