A man was seriously injured at a "ball-run" festival in Spain.

The annual event, which was held in Mataelpino town, outside Madrid on August 26, saw participants run in front of a 250-kilogram ball made of styrofoam.

The man was crushed between the ball and fence, leading him to be airlifted to a nearby hospital

The “Boloencierro” or "Running of the Ball" festival replaced the traditional use of bulls with a large ball eight years ago to cut down costs and dangers to both animals and humans associated with bull running events.

Bullfighting and bull running festivals have become continuously criticised in recent years, with animal rights activists condemning the tradition.