POLICE have appealed for witnesses after a 16-year-old was taken to hospital following a hit-and-run collision.

The youth was crossing Urpeth Lane, Ouston, County Durham, at 8.30pm, on Friday, when he was hit by a car which drove off towards High Urpeth.

The victim was left lying in the road. He had been with a group of friends before the accident and was crossing the lane that runs across the bottom of Urpeth Grange estate, to catch a bus to his home in Washington.

He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Gateshead, and stayed overnight.

Sergeant Steven Morton said: "The car was described as being light coloured and about the size of a Ford Fiesta. The front registration plate may be broken.

"Fortunately the victim was not seriously hurt but the driver of the vehicle had no way of knowing the extent of his injuries when they callously fled the scene."

Anyone with information can contact 0191-386 4929 ext 2384.