A driver was plucked from his cab after his earth-moving machine overturned and burst into flames.

Ken Bowler, of Wantage, survived unscathed thanks to the efforts of a contractor worker at the site, who helped release him from the vehicle.

The incident happened at the Greenways landfill site Appleford siding, near Didcot, yesterday afternoon.

David Weeks, a spokesman for the Greenways Waste Management, said a very large earth moving machine had been covering waste when the accident happened.

He said: "We still don't know properly what happened. The upshot was that the cab tipped on its side and and caught fire."

He added: "We're carrying out our own investigation."

Mr Weeks said the contractor who pulled the driver free had been from a company called Moulding Contracts, based near Newcastle, which had been doing restoration on the site.

Firefighters from Didcot arrived after the rescue and tackled the blaze.

Fire officers treated Mr Bowler with oxygen for breathing difficulties but he was not seriously injured.

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