THE Health and Safety Executive has been called in to establish how a 42-year-old workman was crushed to death between a lorry and a minibus.

Firefighters called to Brotton High Street, the scene of the tragedy, used hydraulic rams and airbags to prise the two vehicles apart.

They created a gap for paramedics to reach the unnamed victim who, it is understood, was trapped in the wheel arch of one of the vehicles.

Fire crews from all over Teesside went to the scene, with specialist heavy-lifting gear being brought in from Stockton fire station. The trapped man was certified dead at the scene.

The vehicles involved in the crash were an open-backed Northumbria Water lorry, and a Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council minibus, the driver of which sustained injuries to his stomach and back.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident, on Friday night, to ring investigators on (01642) 301558. As the accident was a work-related incident, police will not be releasing the victim's name