A driver says he has been badly affected by exhaust gas leaking into his van.

Mark Wilcox, from Liskeard, said that the problem came to light when he fell asleep at the wheel of the van while travelling along a motorway.

The 51-year-old, who makes doll's houses for a living, said: 'The first I knew of it was when a man pulled up alongside me, saw me slumped over the steering wheel and beeped to wake me up.

'The following day I was driving home and I had to stop every 20 miles to sleep because I felt so nauseous.'

Following the incident, self-employed Mr Wilcox says he was unable to work for two months, suffering sickness and severe back pain because of the effects of carbon monoxide.

He said: 'I'm just worried what the long-term effects will be.'

Mr Wilcox, a father of one, bought the vehicle on finance through Vans Direct for more than £22,000 to deliver doll's houses across Europe.

He said that a Cornwall Council-run garage in Bodmin gave the two-year-old van a full service and passed it as safe just weeks before the motorway incident.

Mr Wilcox believes that a hole in the chassis of the Iveco van allowed the carbon monoxide into his cab and that the hole must have been there when the vehicle was serviced.

Mr Wilcox is now making a claim against Cornwall Council for his loss of earnings.

He is also seeking compensation from Vans Direct and the Bank of Scotland, which arranged finance for the van.

Insurers

A spokesperson for Cornwall Council said: 'Cornwall Council can confirm that Mr Wilcox has made a claim which is being dealt with by the council's insurers.

'As the claim is ongoing, it is not appropriate to go into detail.'

Mr Wilcox said he has made several visits to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth to see a neurologist and he has an appointment to see a toxicologist this month.