A farmworker cheated death after getting trapped inside a burning tractor which had been hit by electricity cables.

The unnamed driver struck an electricity pole in the field he was working in at Bedingham Hall Farm near Bungay, Suffolk, bringing down 11,000 volts of overhead cables on his cab.

Despite the John Deere catching fire, the driver realised he had to stay inside the cab to avoid being electrocuted.

He sat in the tractor for 40 minutes until the emergency services arrived and was able to climb down from the cab – shaken but unharmed – when the electricity cables were shut down.

A spokesman for Bedingham Hall Farm said that all their drivers had been taught an emergency action plan, which was to sit still in the cab and call for help.

The tractor fire was quickly put out by firefighters from four different bases, as EDF Energy arrived to turn off the power.

A Health and Safety spokesman said they were deciding whether or not a formal investigation was necessary.