A LORRY driver narrowly escaped being crushed to death under his cab after yobs released the handbrake.

He had to be released by firefighters after his vehicle pinned him up against a fence on the Granby industrial estate in Weymouth early today.

The driver, 32, was recovering at home today after receiving treatment for a broken ankle.

Firefighters who worked for more than 30 minutes to save him say he was lucky to escape with his life.

The drama began just after midnight when the man, a delivery driver for the electrical wholesaler Wilts, was working behind his lorry in the firm's yard in Cambridge Road.

Dorset Police said the driver noticed the lorry began moving slowly and saw someone running away.

A spokesman said the driver rushed round to the front in a bid to stop the vehicle moving but he became trapped.

He said: "It appears that the handbrake was deliberately released and we need to catch the person responsible."

He contacted the emergency services on his mobile phone despite being trapped and in severe pain.

Police alerted firefighters when they realised the lorry could not be moved.

Leading firefighter Martin Ryan of Weymouth fire station's White Watch said: "The vehicle began rolling and in an attempt to stop it the man became pinned up against a steel fence.

"His legs were trapped under the cab by the wheels and his back was against a fence.

"The first job was to secure the lorry. We couldn't move it because of the danger of injuring the driver so we used air-powered tools and hydraulic cutting equipment to remove the fence and release him."

Firefighter Andy Chaplin gave the driver oxygen therapy and comforted him as his colleagues cut away the fence. Leading firefighter Ryan said: "It was a very awkward extrication and it was a miracle the driver was not crushed.

"We made sure he was comfortable until the ambulance arrived and took him to hospital. He seemed okay despite his ordeal."

Staff at Wilts were too shocked to comment today.

It is understood the driver was released from hospital after treatment and taken back to his home in Wiltshire.

A police spokesman added: "It appears that the handbrake was deliberately released and we need to catch the person responsible."

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact PC Simon Bond at West Weymouth police station on 01305 767474.