IT WAS feared a two year old had been killed when he stepped into the road and was swept under the wheels of a car.

Little Arthur Cox was on his way home from nursery with his grandmother and older brother when he was hit and fell underneath a vehicle at the junction of Ferndale Road and Old Shoreham Road, Hove.

His grandmother Sharon Maher said she feared the worst as she looked on with Arthur's five-year-old brother Archie.

The driver did stop at the scene but Arthur's mother Emily Tingey is calling for him to come forward as he has not been seen since the toddler, who had been on his scooter, was taken to hospital for the night.

The 26-year-old said: "It's hard to think someone could knock down my baby and not ring to find out if he is alright.

"There has not been any contact from them and it could have been a whole lot worse."

Arthur is back at home at Chatham Place having escaped with severe bruising.

His father Simon Cox, 32, said: "His grandma feared the worst and thought he was dead.

"Surprisingly it looks like he is going to be fine though he was bruised from his ankle to his knee."

Arthur's grandmother said: "We were already in the road but Archie must have seen something as he stepped back.

"Arthur went into the car and the momentum of it span him and twisted him and he just went under and the back wheel went straight over him. It was horrendous."

A police spokesman said: "We are appealing for the driver of a car who stopped to assist a small boy who had been in collision with his vehicle in Hove to make himself known.

"The two-year-old boy from Hove was in collision with a white car at the junction of Ferndale Road and Old Shoreham Road at around 6.15pm on Friday, January 13.

"The driver stopped and is reported to have called an ambulance, but a passer-by offered to drive the boy to hospital.

"He suffered bruising and an abrasion to his leg and a bump to his head. He was detained at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Brighton for observation overnight."

Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information about the driver of the white car is asked to email 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 quoting serial 1428 of 13/01.