SURGEONS had to amputate a man's leg after an elderly driver ran into his Land Rover and horsebox as he was changing a flat tyre near Wantage.

The accident happened outside The Volunteer pub on the A338 at Grove at 10.15am yesterday.

The Land Rover had been parked in the shade.

Police believe the woman driver of the other car may have been dazzled by the sun before the accident.

They said Edward Avenell, 56, had stopped to change a rear tyre on the Land Rover when the 80-year-old woman's Ford Fiesta ran into the back of the horsebox.

The impact propelled the Land Rover forward, causing it to run over Mr Avenell's leg.

The woman had to be cut out of her car by firefighters after it rolled over and landed on its roof. Mr Avenell, from Grove, was taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.

Pc Eddie Hulme said: "He was in a total state of shock. The hospital was unable to save his leg so he went into theatre to have it amputated."

The woman, from East Hanney, near Wantage, who is 81 today, was also taken to hospital with serious facial injuries.

Pc Hulme said: "This type of accident shows the need to carry warning signs in your vehicle in case of an emergency."

Police are investigating and have appealed for witnesses.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.