A BURNLEY businessman spoke today of the moment a yob launched a missile attack on his van as he drove down the motorway and said: "It could have caused a pile-up."

Jeff Biddulph, 58, was driving his van from Burnley to Nelson when he saw the vandal hurl something towards him from the motorway bridge.

The missile smashed the front windscreen forcing Jeff to pull over to the hard shoulder. The incident, the second in a month in which M65 motorists have been targeted - happened at about 10.30am on Saturday near the motorway bridge at Junction 10 of the M65.

Jeff, who lives in Fraser Street, Burnley, and runs fancy dress shops in the town, said: "I was driving along when I caught sight of a lad standing on the bridge. At first I didn't think anything of it, but then he lifted his hand and threw something towards the van. Whatever it was smashed the windscreen and I had to pull over quite sharply.

"It was quite shocking and what frightened me was the casual way he acted. After he had thrown the object he just turned and walked off, calm as you like."

Police have launched an investigation.

Four weeks ago van driver Michael White, from St Helens, was praised by police after he managed to pull over on to the hard shoulder of the motorway after teenagers threw a missile at his van.

Mr White, 57, was in the area delivering to the Inland Revenue in Nelson when yobs threw the object from a footbridge.