A boy was seriously injured in a hit and run while out celebrating his thirteenth birthday.

The incident happened outside the Post Office in The Boulevard, Crawley.

The victim was on his way home from the cinema with friends when he was involved in a collision with a silver Honda Jazz on a crossing.

The vehicle left the scene and headed in the direction of Northgate Avenue.

The teenager, from Horley, suffered severe tendon damage to his right leg, a broken jawbone and two broken teeth.

The incident happened at about 7.45pm on September 30.

PC Phillip Mann said: “The victim was struck with such force and at such speed the nearside wing mirror came off the vehicle.

"The impact is reflected by the severity of his injuries, and it’s fortunate he wasn’t hit full on, otherwise he could be far worse off.

“The driver made off from the scene seemingly without any concern for the welfare of the victim, and we’d like to speak to them.

“We’d also like to hear from anyone who saw what happened, or anyone who has seen a vehicle matching the description, which may have been driven around the local area recently.

"It may also have been booked into a local garage for repair.

“The incident happened in a busy part of the town on a Saturday night, and we’re hopeful someone may be able to assist in our investigation.”

Anyone with any information is asked to report it via sussex.police.uk or phone 101, quoting serial 1196 of 30/09.