A YOUNG police officer badly injured in a car crash as he raced to deal with a hoax 999 call has been left with limited movement and memory loss.

However, a police spokeswoman claimed he was "making good progress" in hospital.

The 27-year-old married police constable, who is based at Cwmbran but lives in the Crumlin area, received serious head and arm injuries when his patrol car crashed into an embankment off Maendy Way, Cwmbran, after colliding with a lorry.

He was responding to a report of an armed robbery in Blenheim Square, St Dials, which later turned out to be a false alarm.

Fire crews had to use cutting equipment to remove the roof of the Vauxhall Astra and free the officer, who was trapped in the driving seat.

At first, the PC, who has not been named by police at the request of his family, was taken to intensive care at the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport, following the incident on October 9.

However, he has now been transferred to a general ward and is receiving visitors, including the force welfare officer and a family liaison officer.

A spokeswoman for Gwent Police said: "He is making good progress and is being seen by physiotherapists. He is able to stand and transfer himself between his bed and a chair and he is eating. However, he has limited movement on his right side and short-term memory loss."

* A 20-year-old man from Cwmbran was arrested on suspicion of making the hoax call, but was released on police bail.