​An injured cyclist was transported to safety - by a 1950s steam train.

Paramedics were called to the Bristol and Bath Cycle Path, which runs alongside the Avon Valley Railway between Bitton and Wick, at 5pm yesterday.

The cyclist, a man in his 40s, had collided with another rider, and suffered a suspected back injury.

It was too difficult for an ambulance to reach the patient, and there was nowhere for the air ambulance to land.

Staff from the steam railway attraction then offered one of their trains to take the cyclist to Bitton station.

GWAS paramedic Andy Osmond said: “The rider had gone over his handlebars and was complaining of spinal pain.

“We immobilised him on a stretcher but could not get our ambulance to him.

“We thought about requesting the air ambulance but there was nowhere for it to land.

“However, there were two members of the Avon Valley railway on scene and they called the engine driver to back up the steam train from Bitton so we could put the patient on board and take him to the ambulance.

“We would like to thank the Avon Valley Railway staff for their assistance – their help meant the patient could be transferred safely from a difficult location.

“Also, I’ve never been on a steam train, so it was quite an interesting experience.”

The cyclist, who was conscious throughout, was taken to the Royal United Hospital in Bath for X-rays, but his condition was not thought to be serious.