A man who runs a Hitchin-based courier service has heaped praise on the AA, after he was rescued from the back of his van last week.

Luc, from Hitchin Couriers, has been part of the little known logistics effort that helps transport COVID-19 tests up and down the country almost every day.

One morning he might be instructed to go to Glasgow, and the next he could be heading down to Cornwall.

Last Friday, Luc was travelling back down south on a quiet A-road near Middlesbrough when he pulled into a lay-by to check his load was secure.

He jumped in the back of his Ford transit, checked the goods and turned around. But before he could do anything, the side door slid shut.

Luc thought little of it, and reached for the door handle. When that didn't work, he opted for the rear doors. Again, nothing. He was locked in, stuck on a nondescript lay-by in the middle of nowhere.

"Your heart just sinks at that moment," Luc says with a chuckle.

Luckily for him, he had his phone in his pocket and called a friend who works as a mechanic.

"He was explaining how I could dissemble the door panel and the lock, which was never going to happen by the way," Luc adds.

Without any tools to hand, and needing to ensure his delivery was on time, he swallowed his pride and called the AA.

After hearing about how Luc managed to trap himself in his Transit, the call handler from the AA's centre paused.

"We're not allowed to laugh at our member's predicaments," she said. But after Luc explained he saw the funny side of it, she burst out into laughter.

"She told me that once she logged the nature of the incident, everyone in the call centre knew about it and were laughing. It's just one of those things!" Luc said.

"I can't fault them, they tracked me down using the phone app and were on the scene in 25 minutes.

"It was a really impressive response time to be fair, and it meant the delivery arrived on schedule too. Thanks to the AA's patrolman Paul."

So how did this tale of twists and turns end you might wonder?

Luc said: "Once Paul arrived all he had to do was open the door handle from the outside and that was that.

"My friends and family all had a hearty laugh at my expense, and at least I know the van's security features work a little too well now!"

For more information about Hitchin Couriers and the service they provide, visit their Facebook page or website.