A MAN who suffered "a severely cut hand" had to be freed from a York park in the early hours of today.

Emergency services were called to Museum Gardens at about 3am where the injured man was trapped behind a locked gate.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Initially the call came in that the male was impaled on railings.

"He had a severely cut hand and was stuck behind a locked gate in the park. The crew used hydraulic cutting gear to cut the lock and allow access for him to be treated by the ambulance service."

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said the incident began after officers were called to "an altercation" in Blake Street at about 2.30am.

She said: "Two men, who are now believed to be unconnected to this incident, were seen to run off from the police as officers approached the area. 

"One of the men ran into Museum Gardens - which was locked at the time - and sustained a serious hand injury in the process. The fire service assisted with access to the gardens and the injured man was treated by ambulance staff. It is believed that the two men who ran from the police were urinating in the street and ran off when they saw the officers."

No arrests have been made.