Caravanner cut free from car

A caravan holidaymaker was cut free from the wreckage of a car last weekend after an accident when towing a caravan on a camping break.

The crash happened in Westmorland on Saturday when a car jack-knifed and hit the left-hand reservation at the A66/A685 junction at Cooper House Farm. Firefighters used cutting equipment to free the woman from her car, while the driver and another passenger were able to free themselves unaided. The woman sustained minor back injuries.

The accident was one of three involving caravans around the country this month. On 18 August in Leicestershire, severe disruption was caused when two cars collided on the A607, causing the caravan towed by one to detach and career down a hill. The road was closed for two hours and both drivers and a passenger were taken to hospital with minor injuries.

Earlier in the month, a family escaped injury when their 4x4 and caravan flipped over on the A228 near Hoo in Medway.

No-one was badly hurt in the accident, although it and other caravan crashes have served as a reminder for caravanners to be vigilant when towing.

Tim Shallcross, head of policy at the Institute of Advanced Motorists head of policy said: ‘You have got to be vigilant - you have got to remember the whole combination [of car and tourer] is longer and wider and you have got to take account of that.’

A new guide to towing caravans safely was released this summer, after it was revealed that one in five caravan towers had only taken up in the activity in the past six months.