Police are appealing for witnesses after an incident left a 19-year-old Sible Hedingham man fighting for his life with serious head injuries.

The incident in Christmas Field, Sible Hedingham, involved the teenager and a blue Vauxhall Corsa.

The man's condition is stable in Queens Hospital in Romford.

Another 19-year-old man from Sible Hedingham was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and he has now been released on police bail until August 5 while enquiries continue.

Jean Cocks, 73, watched the incident unfold outside her house, near Hedingham School.

Mrs Cocks said: “They were driving round and he was on the bonnet. All of a sudden I saw this person fly up in the air.

“These boys were shouting ‘get up, get up’. “One of the boys had his arm and was trying to pull him up, but they put him down again.

“At this point I thought ‘he’s really hurt himself’.”

Mrs Cocks said the teenager was unconscious for several minutes. She called out to the group of about six boys and girls and told them to phone the ambulance service.

She dashed out of her house with a dressing gown to put around the teenager.

Mrs Cocks said he came round and said he wanted to go home.

A spokesman for the ambulance service said they received a call on Wednesday at 8.15pm with reports of a teeanger who had suffered serious head injuries after a fall.

An ambulance arrived at 8.25pm and left for Colchester General Hospital just before 9pm. The teenager was later transferred to Queen’s Hospital, where he remains.

Anyone with information about the incident can call PC Andy Sumner at the Dunmow road policing unit on 0300 3334444.