A heavily pregnant woman was dragged along the road by her vehicle after she was forced out of it by a carjacker.

Gemma Saunders fell on her belly and had to be treated in hospital after a thief bundled her out of the car in a busy shopping street.

She caught her foot in a door after she was ordered out of the silver Vauxhall Vectra at 11.30am yesterday.

The carjacker then reached speeds of more than 90mph on 50mph roads as he tried to evade officers on Marine Drive near Roedean School.

After racing along the road three times a tyre exploded and the crook lost control of the vehicle. He tried to ram a police car before crashing into a bus stop and coming to a stop.

Miss Saunders, who is eight months pregnant and in her early twenties, had been in the back seat of the car when her boyfriend stopped near Natwest bank in London Road, Brighton.

As he got out to go to a shop the thief jumped into the driver's seat and started forcing Miss Saunders out. Her boyfriend saw what was happening and ran back. He tried to break the car window to stop the thief escaping but the crook sped off as his girlfriend, of Goodwood Way, Brighton, escaped.

She was left distraught on the roadside and fearful for her unborn child.

Vicky King, 18, who works at BetFred bookies a few doors down, said she sat with Miss Saunders in her stepdad's minibus while they waited for the ambulance and police to arrive She said: "It was really horrible thing to happen and Gemma was really shaken.

"I was walking down to meet up with my mum and stepdad when I saw the car speed away. I didn't think much of it at first and then saw Gemma in the road.

"She had no shoes on or coat so we put a rug around her and kept her in the car until the ambulance came.

"I can't believe this happened here in the middle of the day in broad daylight."

An ambulance crew treated Miss Saunders at the scene before taking her to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

The stolen Vauxhall car was spotted by police officers half an hour later heading west on Marine Drive from St Dunstan's home for the blind to Brighton Marina.

Sussex Police had already begun efforts to track the vehicle using its network of number-plate recognition cameras.

A police 4x4 vehicle signalled to the driver to stop but he sped off instead. The thief then made a u-turn and began accelerating away from Brighton as officers begun to pursue him.

Sergeant Paul Wood, from the force's road policing department in Hove, said: "As he went round the roundabout at St Dunstan's his front offside tyre blew and he lost control but he carried on. He came back around the roundabout heading towards the marina again.

"He had to slow down and was weaving and swerving across the road. The police car begun to overtake him and as it did he swerved and clipped the front of it.

"His car spun across the road and hit the side by the bus stop on the eastbound carriageway."

A 42-year-old man, who police say is from outside Sussex, was arrested at the scene at 12.18pm on suspicion of aggravated vehicle theft and a series of driving offences. He was last night still being questioned by officers over the incident.

Miss Saunders was sent home from hospital yesterday evening. She had not suffered any serious injuries but was described as "badly shaken".

Florist May Cragg, who runs a shop in London Road, said the incident showed that the police needed to improve their presence in the area.

She said: "We hardly ever see officers on foot around here. It's not adequate."

Anyone who saw the car being stolen or who saw it being driven around afterwards should call Sussex Police on 0845 6070999.