A HAULAGE company has reopened an investigation into a motorway accident after a video was posted on the internet showing a car trapped sideways on the front bumper of one of its wagons travelling at 60mph.

A passenger in a nearby car captured the footage on a mobile phone.

It shows a lorry operated by Sandbach-based Arclid Transport travelling along the A1(M) near Wetherby in West Yorkshire with a blue Renault Clio attached to its front.

West Yorkshire Police said officers had become aware of the 22-second video on Wednesday and would be working with the company to establish the exact circumstances of the incident which happened in January.

It remains unclear exactly how the car got lodged, or how long the motorist remained trapped, or why the lorry driver appeared not to notice the car.

The footage available on YouTube also includes a male voice shouting: "He hasn't seen it!"

A West Yorkshire police spokesman said: "On January 13 at around 8.30am we attended a road traffic collision on the southbound A1 near Wetherby to a report that a blue Renault Clio had been in collision with a HGV.

"At the time of our attendance there were no injuries and both vehicles were on the hard shoulder of the motorway. As a result, at the time, the incident was treated as a damage only-collision. However, in light of the new evidence that has come to light we are reinvestigating the collision and the matter has today been passed to our major collision enquiry team and enquiries are ongoing."

A spokesman for the Sandbach company, which employs 30 staff and has 25 wagons in its fleet, said an investigation had been launched. An Arclid Transport spokesman said: "An incident did happen along a stretch of the A1(M) and we opened an investigation and reported the matter to the police.

"That matter had been formally closed until we saw the video. As a responsible company we have reopened that investigation."

The spokesman said that the lorry driver had stopped and that the motorist was unhurt.

Barry Proctor, a board member of the Road Haulage Association and owner of Talke haulage firm Barry Proctor Services, pictured, said: "It must have been terrifying for the driver, although it's difficult to say what's happened.

"I also know that the drivers at Arclid Transport have a lot of experience.

"What I don't think people realise is just how many blind spots lorries have even with all the mirrors with which they're fitted.

"I had a school visit to demonstrate the blind spot at the front of the cab. A teacher sat in the driver's seat couldn't see a pupil until they were 20 feet away."

Paul Biggs, Staffordshire co-ordinator for the Association of British Drivers, said: "It could have ended in tragedy. It does show how mobile phones can be used to bring new evidence to light."