A PENSIONER is being treated in hospital after he was found with a head injury in his garden yesterday morning.

William Young was discovered by a newspaper delivery boy outside his home in Hurworth, near Darlington, shortly after 8am.

He is believed to have been there all night and was taken by ambulance to Darlington Memorial Hospital suffering from slight hypothermia.

Police are not treating the injury to the back of his head as suspicious, but they are appealing for information about what happened to him.

Acting Sergeant Mark Jagodzinski, of Darlington police, said: "It is possible that the gentleman has fallen over in his garden.

"It is believed he frequented a number of pubs in the village. We are assuming if he left the pubs, he has been there most of the night.

"He was quite cold, which was the initial concern when the paramedics got there."

He said Mr Young, who is believed to be 77 or 78, was very vague about what had happened to him.

"He couldn't give great details as to what happened," he said.

"We don't believe the injury to his head is life-threatening but we are obviously treating it with concern. The hospital has said he needs a head scan."

Officers carried out inquiries at pubs in the village yesterday.

Acting Sgt Jagodzinski said: "We really need to speak to anyone who saw him on Monday night or was in the vicinity of The Chase.

"We are trying to trace his steps and determine exactly what happened to him.

"We think he is well-known around the village so it is very likely that somebody saw him."

Anyone with information is asked to call police on (01325) 467681.