he crashed into a telephone pole and suffered serious head and facial injuries.

The man was trapped in the van following the accident and the Fire Service was called in to help get him out.

The door of the van had to be cut off with special cutting gear, a Fire Service spokesman said, adding the front end of the van was "completely crushed''.

The cause of the accident, which occurred at about 5.45 p.m. outside St. James Church in Somerset, was under investigation.

The man was at Press time last night in the intensive care unit listed in serious condition, a Police spokesman said.