Police have released the name of a lorry driver who died yesterday after a lorry smashed through the wall of a roundabout and plunged into a subway in Bradford.

Vasile Rus, aged 47, of Dagenham, Essex, was pronounced dead at the scene after the HGV he was driving crashed on Wakefield Road, Bradford.

A post mortem examination held today confirmed Mr Rus had died of natural causes.  His family has been informed.

The road remained closed until 3.30pm as the badly-damaged vehicle was recovered and diesel cleared from the carriageway, which acts as a main commuter route in and out of the city.

No other vehicles were involved and no-one else was injured in the incident, which happened at the roundabout near St John's Church, Bowling, and New Hey Road Methodist Church.

Lorry involved in horror crash is removed from subway beneath Bradford roundabout

PC Nigel Fawcett Jones, of the Safer Roads and Neighbourhood Support Team, said it had been "a significant and tragic incident on Bradford’s roads."

He added: "We are appealing for anyone who witnessed this incident, or who may have seen the HGV before the collision, to contact myself at the Safer Roads and Neighbourhood Support Team on 101."

When the Telegraph & Argus visited the scene yesterday morning, Wakefield Road was closed in both directions between the Dudley Hill Roundabout and its junction with Bowling Back Lane.

A police cordon was in place around the other entrances to the roundabout - on New Hey Road and Neville Road - and all access to the pedestrian subway was blocked.

A hole could be seen in the wall of the subway directly opposite to the entrance to the roundabout travelling in the direction of Bowling Back Lane and the city centre.

The badly-damaged vehicle had come to rest in the well of the subway, including debris from the cab of the vehicle and the shipping container it was carrying.

Concerned onlookers had gathered to speak to police at the scene, with one woman saying she had been told the driver may have suffered a heart attack at the wheel.

Initial reports had also suggested that the container may have been carrying chemicals that had leaked onto the road, but police said that was not the case.

Police advised motorists to avoid the area and said that due to the scale of the collision, the recovery was "very delicate work" that would take time, apologising to drivers for the "significant traffic disruption."

A police spokesman added: "There was some diesel spillage on the road as a result of the incident.

"There was no evidence of any chemicals or leaking from the HGV's container.

"The cause of the incident is unknown at this stage and investigations are ongoing."

Police, ambulance crews, and firefighters from Bradford and Cleckheaton had initially attended the incident, with emergency services remaining at the scene until the road re-opened yesterday to ensure the area and the subway were safe.

A spokesman for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed there had been no detection of a leak of chemicals from the container on the trailer unit being towed by the HGV.

Specialist lifting equipment was used to remove the lorry, with fire crews from Bradford and Dewsbury on standby as the operation took place.

Lee Exley, manager of Stoneywood Limited, the firm used to recover the vehicle, described the recovery of the lorry as a "very complex operation."

"We used a 220-tonne crane, and our structural engineers had to plan precisely where it could sit so as not to cause damage to the subway," he said.

"We were on-site from about 3.30am.

"In terms of recovery, it was about as complex as it gets."

The damaged lorry bore markings on its side with logos for Scammell Commercial Ltd, a fleet maintenance firm based in Grays, Essex.

When contacted by the T&A yesterday, a spokesman said: "In view of the ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate for the company to make any comment at this time."

Tributes to the man were paid on social media in the aftermath of the incident, which caused major delays in the morning rush-hour and led to numerous bus services being diverted away from the area.

Shipley Transport said on Twitter: "Thoughts are with the driver who sadly lost his life this morning at the Wakefield Road incident."

Nikki W also tweeted: "Being stuck in traffic might be an inconvenience we don't need in a morning, but the accident on Wakefield Road sounds horrific. Poor man."