A 13-YEAR-OLD paperboy was fighting for life last night after being knocked off his bike.

The teenager was doing his morning round along Offington Lane in Worthing when he was hit by a black VW van shortly after 7am.

He was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton with serious head injuries before being transferred to King’s College Hospital in London later in the afternoon.

Doctors have described his condition as critical but stable.

Emergency services received the call at 7.07am after the teenager, from Worthing, was hit near the junction of Offington Avenue and Ashacre Lane.

Offington Lane was closed in both directions up to the A27, causing severe delays in the morning rush-hour.

It remained closed for nearly four hours as traffic collision officers investigated.

Officers were seen testing the VW before trying to learn where the two made contact.

When The Argus arrived at the scene yesterday the boy’s damaged red bike was on the road. Next to the bike was what appeared to be the boy’s paper round bag.

The teenage paperboy worked for the Martin’s newsagent in Littlehampton Road, just a few hundred yards from the crash site. The shopkeeper was too upset to talk and asked that we contact her head office.

A spokesman for the McColl's Retails Group, which runs the Martin's newsagents brand, said they were supporting the youngster's family. He added that the boy's mum also works at the newsagent.

He said: “We're extremely concerned about the accident and obviously very concerned about the young man involved.

“We are doing all we can to support the family and are grateful to the emergency services who responded on the scene.”

A spokesman for South East Coast Ambulance service said: “We were called just after 7.05am to reports of a collision between a van and a bike. We sent one ambulance and three cars for back up.

“We treated him at the scene for head, leg and possible pelvic injuries before taking him to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.”

He added that the boy was unconscious when the crew arrived and had not fully regained consciousness by the time they reached the hospital.

The 30-year-old local driver of the VW Transporter was uninjured.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to call Sussex Police on 101 quoting Operation Bansha.