A PENSIONER is today fighting for his life after he was hit by a suspected stolen car. The 69-year-old cyclist was thrown into the air by the force of the impact after he was struck by a Ford Escort outside a Hampshire pub..

Police launched a manhunt and used tracker dogs in a bid to find the hit-and-run driver following the horrific incident outside the Saxon Inn in Calmore Drive, Calmore.

The driver fled the scene of the smash which occurred at around 3.20pm yesterday.

Shocked regulars at the pub described how they heard a bang as the mid 1980s Ford Escort mounted a kerb, struck the cyclist, demolished a wooden post and then smashed into the side of Calmore Community Centre.

They rushed outside and saw the victim curled round a tree where he had been thrown following the impact. There was no sign of the driver of the car who had fled.

Eyewitness Mia Wilson, of Flowerdown Close, told the Daily Echo how she saw the cyclist thrown into the air by the force of the impact.

She said: "I saw the driver coming down the road. He turned into here and he was in the middle of the road. He just drove straight into the cyclist. He did not brake. He just carried on going. He was going too fast."

Ms Wilson dashed over to where the cyclist had landed following the impact. She called emergency services and helped comfort the victim until help arrived.

She added: "I just made sure he was comfortable. He was not conscious at first and then I could see there was blood coming from his nose."

Keith Swaby, 39, of Calmore, was in the Saxon Inn when the accident happened.

He said he heard a loud bang and regulars rushed outside to see what had happened.

He said: "The car was on the wall by the door and the man was lying down on the ground. We all went outside to see what we could do.

"The police and ambulance were here extremely quickly."

Barmaid Melanie Foster, 19, added: "I heard a smash and thought it was the man coming to clear up bottles from the bottle bank. I just went round to the garden and saw a lady helping the man.''

The man is being treated for serious head injuries at Southampton General Hospital. His condition was described by police as "serious and life-threatening".

Sgt Andy Timms, of Hampshire police said: "We are searching for anybody who has seen the crash or anybody who has seen the user of the car."

Police believe the driver of the car may have been injured in the crash as he was seen limping or hopping away from the scene.

He is described as in his late teens or early 20s and 5ft 10ins tall with a stocky build. He was wearing a white or blue T-shirt, a baseball cap and shorts.

Anyone with any information on the driver or who may have witnessed the accident should call Lyndhurst Traffic Police on 0845 045 45 45.