A paperboy was last night fighting for his life after being knocked down by a car.

Witnesses said Declan Hubert, 14, had been listening to his iPod when he was hit crossing Hangleton Road, Hove, yesterday morning.

The teenager was thrown several metres into the air and some of his possessions, including his shoe, landed in nearby gardens.

Residents who went to Declan’s side said the youngster had not regained consciousness when an ambulance arrived at 7.50am.

Last night the teenager’s father, Jeremy Hubert, said the family were praying with their son’s consultants after he underwent surgery to relieve pressure on his brain stem at Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre in Haywards Heath.