Ref.10305A POSTMAN in his 50s was in a stable condition in hospital last night after his bike was in collision with a car yesterday.

The man, a former retained firefighter who lives in Chippenham, was cycling along Marshfield Road, Chippenham, at around 1pm when the accident occurred.

The car ended up impaled on the railings in the front garden of a house on the left of Marshfield Road heading out of Chippenham.

The cyclist and the driver of the blue Vauxhall Corsa were taken to Bath's Royal United Hospital by ambulance.

A police spokesman said the cyclist suffered internal injuries, fractures and bruising and his conditioned worsened in the ambulance on the way to hospital.

The A420 Marshfield Road was closed by police for several hours after the accident. Traffic was diverted around Yewstock Crescent and Audley Road.

Pregnant mum Marie Fitzgerald was at home when the car ploughed through the railings in front of her house and crashed into the edge of the front wall.

Mrs Fitzgerald is expecting twins in October. Her 15-month-old son Archie was asleep in his bedroom upstairs when the accident happened.

"I just heard a big bang,'' she said.

Mrs Fitzgerald came downstairs and saw the car had come through the railings, while the cyclist was lying on the pavement.

A crowd of passers-by had gathered and someone called the police and ambulance. "I think the driver of the car was in shock,'' she said.

Mrs Fitzgerald said she helped as much as she could, bringing out blankets to cover the cyclist before the ambulance arrived.

Afterwards she was worried for the safety of her unborn babies, so she went up to the Greenways maternity unit for a check-up.

Her husband Andrew Fitzgerald returned at about 4.30pm from work to find the car removed but his front railings demolished.

"My wife was very shocked after what happened,'' he said.