FIRE CREWS cut free a man who got his hand caught in a paper shredder at a bank in Malton today.

Firefighters and ambulance personnel were called to the scene at the Halifax branch in Wheelgate at about 9.15am.

Nigel Metcalfe, spokesman for the Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: "It appears someone has caught their hand in a shredding machine."

A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said they received a report that a man aged 30 had caught his ring finger in the machine rollers.

Traffic approaching the Butcher Corner traffic lights in Malton town centre backed up as the emergency vehicles occupied one of the two southbound lanes.

The man was taken to Malton Hpspital for precautionary checks after being released. He is not believed to have been badly hurt.

Steve Oldridge, Ryedale District Council's head of environmental health and housing, said: "Depending on the circumstances, we enforce health and safety regulations at these premises.

"There would be a requirement to notify the incident, depending on the nature of the injury. Certainly it would be notifiable more or less immediately if it's a serious injury."

Mr Oldridge added: "We will certainly be looking into an incident of this nature, once we know what has gone on."

A spokeswoman for Halifax said she was unable to comment at this stage as she was investigating the details of the incident.