TONNES of fertiliser spilled into the wrong field just yards from its intended destination after a truck overturned on a country road on Saturday morning.

Just before 7am the lorry, which had been transporting 20 tonnes of compost from Avonmouth, struck a grass verge in slippery conditions and turned over on the B4005.

The road from Chiseldon to Wroughton was closed for around four hours as emergency services were forced to cut the truck into two pieces and recover it.

Fire crews used specialist cutting equipment to free the 59-year-old male driver, whose legs were trapped.

He was imprisoned in the cab for around an hour and was treated at the scene before being taken by land to Great Western Hospital, although the Wiltshire Air Ambulance was in attendance.

He suffered some large cuts to his arms and legs, and emergency services believe some broken bones.

PC Matt Harvey, response officer at the scene, said: “The driver was carrying a load from Avonmouth for a farm around the corner, and had around 20 tonnes of fertiliser on board.

“He appears to have clipped the verge on the side of the road while travelling towards Wroughton. It is unclear at this stage why he has come off the road but it would seem his wheels have skidded on some standing water and the weight of his load has transferred to one side.

“All of his load has now been deposited in the field adjacent to the farm he was heading to.

“The driver has sustained some bad cuts and possible broken bones. He was conscious and talking when we arrived on the scene, and fire crews cut him out of the vehicle at around 8am.

“It does not appear from what we can see that he was speeding, and it seems at one stage he was doing no more than 20 miles an hour.

“The vehicle was cut in two for recovery. It was a tipper lorry so the whole back was a hydraulic ram, which needed to be detached from the chassis. The whole process was likely to last around four hours.”

Recovery vehicles from Greenmeadow attended the scene at 10.45am to assist with recovery, and the road was closed until approximately 3pm.

Police have warned drivers to take extra care in wet conditions and to reduce speed accordingly on country roads.

“We would advise drivers due to the inclement weather we have got lots of standing water on the roads, so people need to be aware and mindful of their speed,” added PC Harvey.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Fire and Rescue said: “We received a call from the police shortly before 7am regarding an overturned lorry.

“We sent out two appliances, one from Drove Road and the other from Stratton. We also sent the emergency support unit from Chippenham as it contains heavy rescue gear.

“Crews cut out a male from the lorry using hydraulic equipment and left him in the care of the ambulance.”