A PEDESTRIAN was airlifted to hospital after a collision with a concrete mixer in Clayton-le-Moors yesterday.

The crash happened outside Sparth House Hotel at 3.40pm, and witnesses described seeing a middle aged man ‘flying’ across Whalley Road.

Police said he suffered ‘significant head injuries’ and was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital by the North West Air Ambulance.

The driver of the Triple Concrete Ltd truck declined to comment, but Sergeant Gareth Hill, investigating, said he was helping police with their enquiries and had not been arrested.

Support worker John Yarranton, 56, of nearby John Street, said: “I was driving home and just saw a man flying across the road before rolling over a couple of times. He looked in a really bad way. I just hope he’s okay.”

Stephen Kemp, 44, of Duke Street, said: “I was just having a walk and saw the air ambulance taking off. Apparently he didn’t look too good but hopefully he’ll recover.” Sergeant Hill said: “A wagon was in a collision with a middle aged male pedestrian.

“We haven’t identified him yet but he had significant head injuries and has been airlifted to Preston.

“The driver is helping us with our enquiries and it’s far too early to say whether anyone was contravening anything, but we’d like anyone who saw the collision to contact us.”