Royal Mail are insiting a lorry crash survivor returns to his job behind the wheel of a truck even though it is not fitted with seatbelts, the driver claims.

Anthony Prior of Twineham Road, Eastbourne, was lucky to survive a head-on smash in July. The crash killed the driver of a sports car who swerved into Mr Prior's path on the A27 near Selmeston in Sussex on July 27.

59-year-old Mr Prior is convinced his seat belt stopped him from being thrown through the windscreen of his 7.5 ton Leyland Daf lorry during the collision.

But a legal loophole means the father of three may still be required to drive hired trucks which are not fitted with seatbelts.

Currently Royal Mail does not have to insist that hired vehicles of this size be fitted with such restraints.

But Mr Prior, who is off work recovering from his injuries, would rather risk the sack than drive without a seatbelt when he returns to work in early January.

He said: "After the trauma of the accident I just can't believe what I'm being told. Basically they are saying that if I'm not prepared to drive a lorry with no seatbelts then I must be reassigned to other duties.

"But I am an experienced driver and that is what I want to do. If they ask me to get behind the wheel of a truck with no seat belts I just know I will not be able to do it."

The Communication Workers Union has taken up the case and is calling for a change in Royal Mail's policy.

Dave Joyce, chair of the CWU's Health and Safety committee, said: "The joint CWU Royal Mail Road Transport Forum met on December 6 and I told them in no uncertain terms that we need a change in this policy. Drivers like Anthony should never be put in such an invidious position."

A spokesman for the Royal Mail said: "We have not had a formal discussion with Mr Prior about his return to work and what vehicles and when he might drive. When he does return however, we can say categorically that he wouldn't be expected to drive vehicles that were not fitted with a belt."

The spokesman said: "All Royal Mail vehicles are fitted with seat belts and currently the service is awaiting a Government review of the law on the fitting of seatbelts to haulage vehicles."

But the spokesman admitted that not all vans from hire companies are fitted with safety belts.

He said: "Given the number of vehicles we hire, there will be occasions, which we seek to minimise, when we will use hire vehicles that do not have belts."