FANS of legendary rocker Rod Stewart are rooting for a Hampshire musician who was seriously injured in a road accident near his home.

Guitarist Gary Leport formed The Dimensions in the early 1960s and gave the spiky-haired singer his big break by inviting him to join the band.

Gary, a member of the Plonkers Agricultural Orchestra, was crossing Southampton Road, Lymington, last month when he was hit by a car.

He suffered serious head injuries in the collision and is still in a coma on a life support machine at Southampton General Hospital.

Details of the accident have appeared on the online version of SMILER, a quarterly publication by Rod Stewart’s fan club.

In a message to the Plonkers, fan club member Mike Walton said: “We all wish Gary a speedy recovery and hope he will not mind us putting the news on SMILER. Please pass on our best wishes and let him know we are thinking about him.”

Fellow members of The Dimensions included bassist Louis Cennamo, who confirmed that Rod, then virtually unknown, was also part of the line-up.

“Gary got him in – they were at school together,” he said.

“Rod was the first guy I’d seen with a bouffant. He was also very funny and kept us amused in traffic jams by opening the back door of the Dormobile and simply rolling out into the road.”

Gary, 64, of Paddock Gardens, Lymington, had been to post a letter and was walking home when the accident happened on January 14.