A MANGLED mountain bike by the side of the road marked an incredible escape for a young cyclist.The 20-year-old cyclist escaped with minor injuries after he was involved in a smash with a van in Grimwade Street.

A MANGLED mountain bike by the side of the road marked an incredible escape for a young cyclist.

The 20-year-old cyclist escaped with minor injuries after he was involved in a smash with a van in Grimwade Street.

Emergency services rushed to the scene at about 8.30am today after a passer-by reported the accident.

But despite initial reports of possibly severe injuries, ambulance crews found little more than a suspected broken leg.

Police quickly set up a roadblock at the scene near the junction with busy St Helen's Street.

It caused yet more traffic misery for rush-hour commuters after the earlier shunt in Star Lane.

Some commuters were reporting journey times of up to an hour for a trip normally taking only 20 minutes.

A policeman at the scene said it was too early to speculate about the causes of the smash, although he said it looked like a fairly typical bike accident.

The cyclist, who has not been named, was taken to Ipswich Hospital, but ambulance crews confirmed he was not seriously injured.

Traffic jams had already built up in Ipswich town centre after a shunt left a woman needing hospital treatment.

She was taken to Ipswich Hospital after a crash between a Vauxhall Cavalier and a Rover left her with minor head injuries.

Traffic ground to a halt at the busy junction between Fore Street and Star Lane when the two cars collided.

An ambulance and a rapid response vehicle attended the scene after a call at about 7.10am.