A GWENT pensioner was in intensive care today after an accident between his car and a fire engine attending what turned out to be a false alarm.

The crash happened in Cwmbran shortly before midday yesterday, when the man's Vauxhall Cavalier and the fire engine were involved in an accident on Henllys Way. Today, two separate investigations have been launched into the incident by Gwent Police and South Wales Fire Service.

The fire engine was attending a reported rubbish fire in the Cwmbran area when the crash occurred.

Last night, a South Wales Fire Service spokeswoman confirmed that a back-up fire crew later discovered the fire was a false alarm.

The driver of the car, who has not been named, was trapped in the wreckage and the fire crew, who all escaped unharmed, were able to free him from his vehicle.

The road was closed for around half-an-hour while an ambulance crew treated the man on the roadside before he was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital at Newport.

The man, who is believed to be in his 70s and from the Cwmbran area, is in the hospital's intensive care unit where his condition is described as stable. A woman passenger in the car was also taken to hospital and treated for minor injuries, said police.

A spokeswoman for South Wales Fire Service said: "Both the fire service and Gwent police are holding our own investigations into this incident.

"The original call out was to a rubbish fire in the area. This later turned out to be a false alarm."

A Gwent police spokeswoman said: "Police were called out and the driver was trapped and the road was closed while he received treatment from the ambulance crew. He was taken to the Royal Gwent where he is in a serious condition."

Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident and anyone with information is asked to telephone the traffic department on 01633 838111.