A man in his 60s is critically ill in hospital after being knocked over by a bus in a North East city centre. 

Northumbria Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward following the collision shortly before 2pm on Wednesday (January 25).

A police spokesperrson said: "It was reported that the bus was travelling down John Street when – for reasons yet to be established – it has collided with a male pedestrian.

"Emergency services attended the scene where the man – aged 68 – was taken to hospital with serious injuries. He remains there in a critical but stable condition.

"The driver remained at the scene and assisted officers with their enquiries."

An investigation has since been launched and officers now appealing to the public for witnesses and those with dashcam footage which may help officers understand the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Sergeant Michael Parnaby, of Northumbria Police’s Motor Patrols Department, said: “This was a very serious collision which has left a man with serious, potentially life-threatening injuries.

“An investigation is now well underway to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.

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“We are urgently appealing to anyone who witnessed what happened or who may have relevant dash cam or CCTV footage to contact us immediately.

“If anyone has information which may assist our investigation, please get in touch.”

Witnesses or anyone with information that could help should contact Northumbria Police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page on our website or by calling the non-emergency 101 line and quoting NP-20230125-0566.