A ZOO keeper whose van collided with a group of animal rights activists claimed the incident was nothing more than a "regrettable accident".

Animals' rights protesters released a video of The Jungle Zoo's manager Bernard Bale apparently driving into them outside the resort attraction on Easter Sunday.

Available to view here now, Mr Bale is allegedly seen driving a white van on the road in the Thrunscoe car park.

The van then apparently crosses the grass verge before driving off with the group's banner across part of its windscreen.

One man claims to have suffered minor injuries as a result of the incident.

Protesters claim the vehicle was also in collision with a parked car before returning a short while later.

However, Mr Bale insists the incident – which came just days after he criticised reckless motorists in the car park – was a "regrettable accident".

He says he was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of assault, but told the Grimsby Telegraph: "I have never assaulted anyone in my life."

Mr Bale claims he crossed a grass verge while trying to avoid an obstacle on the opposite side of the road, and that he was only trying to get away from the scene of the protest.

He claims he felt intimidated by abusive language on the part of the protesters, and decided to leave when, he says, police failed to respond to several calls from zoo staff during the protest.

He said although he understood officers had heavy workloads, he believed the incident would not have happened had the protesters been moved on.

He said: "I think it was a dreadful accident that need not have happened.

"I'm a man with a family and I do everything I can to try to help people, not hurt them.

"I regret the whole thing, but it would never have got to the point where I wanted to leave the scene if it had been kept under control in the first place."

However, protesters and a separate witness claim the van was driven into the group of about 10 people, who were chanting "boycott the Jungle Zoo" at the time.

Protester Chris Calvert (23) travelled from Durham to take part and said the protest had been a peaceful one.

He added: "We were just there to try to raise awareness and educate people.

"I was there with my girlfriend for a peaceful protest, and I ended up having to jump out of the way of a moving van.

"It was not what we were expecting at the time."

Oliver Dean (26), spokesman for Sheffield Animal Friends, who were staging the protest, aid: "It was scary. It was dangerous and a lot of people were shocked."

Eyewitness Pam Barrett had been on a day trip to the resort from Nottingham when she viewed the incident.

Pam (59) said: "I was standing within feet of them and saw the van plough straight into them."

A Humberside Police spokesman said: "There was an incident involving a road traffic collision. One man was arrested and enquiries are continuing."

The spokesman said the force was unwilling to comment on Mr Bale's claims any further at this stage.

The incident comes just days after the Grimsby Telegraph featured a call from Mr Bale to impose speeding restrictions in the Thrunscoe Car Park on Kings Road.

At the time, Mr Bale called for speed ramps or a speeding restriction to be put in place to halt reckless motorists.

We have removed the facility to comment on this story at the request of Humberside Police.