A SCHOOLBOY was hit by a minibus when he played chicken on the road with his friends.

The 11-year-old was detained overnight in hospital after running out in front of the vehicle on the A688 at St Helen Auckland, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, at 5.30pm on Tuesday.

A police spokeswoman said: "The youngster apparently admitted to his parents he was playing chicken. A girl ran first across the road and he followed and was hit by this minibus. Fortunately, it was only travelling at about 20mph because there was such a build-up of traffic.

"Parents need to be aware and discourage their children from doing anything like this," she added.