A CHILD was taken to hospital by air ambulance after a collision with a bus in Winchester.

Paramedics treated the 10-year-old boy from Winchester after the incident in Winchester High Street this afternoon.

The injuries are not thought to be life threatening and the boy was conscious and responding to questions before being taken to Southampton General Hospital.

The Stagecoach number three bus was moving at low speed along the High Street next to the market stalls, at around 2pm.

Inspector Andy Tester said: “A crash has happened between a 10-year-old boy from the Winchester area and a bus. The child has been taken by air ambulance to the trauma unit at Southampton General Hospital and his mother is with him. An investigation is ongoing but no arrests have been made.”

The boy left in Hampshire Air Ambulance at around 3pm from Cathedral Close.

Witnesses said a group of boys were running in the street before the accident happened.

Mark James, 20, a market trader from Bournemouth, said: “These boys were running after each other down by my stall and one just ran into the road. A woman who was with them said “Don't run,” but as soon as the words came out of her mouth it happened.

“He was flat out cold for a minute but then came round and could move his arms and legs and the paramedics told him he would be alright.”

Diane Wellstead, of Poole, said: “The boy kept saying 'I want my mum', and 'I don't want to die'. It was really emotional and I was in shock myself. It looked like he was going to be alright which is a real relief.”

Austin Jones, also of Bournemouth, who runs a leather stall with Ms Wellstead, added: “I was serving a customer when I heard a thud and I thought someone had fallen over. I turned around and saw this lad on the floor. But this man stopped and said he was a doctor so it was very lucky he was passing by.”

Stagecoach South managing director Andrew Dyer was unavailable for comment.