Tractor is hit at level crossing

Ambulance crews said the tractor suffered a "huge" amount of damage

A tractor driver was seriously injured when his tractor was hit by a passenger train on a Shropshire level crossing.

Paramedics were called to the scene at Weston Rhyn, near Oswestry, at about 1650 BST on Saturday.

The train, which had 17 passengers, was not derailed by the crash and no-one on board was seriously hurt.

An ambulance spokesman said the 23-year-old driver, whose injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, was "lucky to be alive".

Ambulance officer Cliff Medlicott, who attended the incident, said the tractor suffered a "huge" amount of damage in the crash and was moved a short distance down the track by the train.

A doctor from the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was on the train, which had been travelling to Wrexham, and helped ambulance crews.

The tractor driver suffered serious injuries to his head and chest, along with a broken wrist, and was taken to the Maelor Hospital in Wrexham.

One woman on the train was treated at the scene for minor neck pain, Mr Medlicott said.

An investigation is taking place into what happened.