THREE men had a lucky escape after the car they were travelling in crashed into a wall.

Firefighters are now warning people of the importance of seatbelts as at least one passenger is believed to have not been wearing one. Bury and Heywood firefighters assisted police and paramedics at Heap Bridge, just after the roundabout near junction 2 of the M66 in Heywood.

The crash happened at 2.10am on Saturday. The driver was found by the side of the car and the steering wheel had bent as a result of the crash.

Two passengers trapped in the back of the car were rescued by firefighters.

The impact of the crash caused concrete blocks to move down an embankment.

Watch manager Steve Wilcock, from Bury Fire Station, said: “The force of the collision pushed concrete blocks down an embankment where there is quite a drop to the river. They were lucky the car stayed on the road. “The rear seat passenger was in considerable pain so we got him out first. He was between the footwell so we had to cut the rear door off to get him out. Early indications are he may not have been wearing a seatbelt.

“Everyone must wear a seatbelt - it doesn’t matter if you are travelling in the front seat or the back seat, it’s so significant in keeping you safe and it’s a two second job.”

Two of the men were taken to Salford Royal Hospital and one was taken to Royal Oldham Hospital. About 10 police cars, five North West Ambulance Service vehicles and two fire engines attended.