A MILK tanker driver was injured after smashing into a coach and an abandoned camper van on an unlit moorland road.

The National Express coach heading for Whitby on the A171 near Scaling Dam hit the camper van, which had been stolen from the Cleveland area, as it was on the side of the road.

Shortly after the initial crash at 5.50am today (Wednesday, January 2), the milk tanker which was heading towards Guisborough, ploughed into the coach and van.

Firefighters rescued the trapped driver of the coach, which was not carrying passengers, by smashing his windscreen.

The milk tanker driver was treated at the scene for facial cuts by paramedics after his head hit his windscreen in the crash.

A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the road remained closed for five hours after the crash and that their Cleveland counterparts were hunting for the camper van thieves.

He said: β€œIt was an irresponsible place to leave the camper van. Fortunately, nobody was seriously injured as a result of the incident.”

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