A motorist has been taken to hospital after his car was struck by a train on an unstaffed level crossing.

The collision happened at around 10am in Frederikslaan, Hillegom, on the line between Haarlem and Leiden. It is thought the driver may have been blinded by the low sun and failed to see the train approaching.

The man was trapped in his car and had to be freed by fire crews before he was taken to hospital. Train services were suspended on the line for around two hours while the wreckage was cleared away.

Rail track operator ProRail has been campaigning for years to install automatic barriers at all crossings or change the road layout so cars do not have to cross the tracks. In May this year a 58-year-old train driver died in a collision with a tractor on the line in Drenthe.

A ProRail spokesman told NOS: ‘Every few years there is an accident like this on these types of crossings. We have been calling for a long time for these crossings to be abolished.’