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This is the shocking moment a hit-and-run driver ploughs into a little boy as he plays with his pals in the street.

CCTV footage captures how the 10-year-old bounced off the bonnet of a Honda Civic and was flung into the road in Ashton-under-Lyne.

The motorist then drove away without stopping. Police were called to the scene on Victoria Street, near the junction with Rudman Street, at 7.15pm on Tuesday, September 2.

The young boy was taken to hospital and, incredibly, only suffered minor injuries. Officers now believe the driver was in a turquoise Honda Civic, manufactured between 1991 and 1996.

They have released the footage in a bid to find the driver.

Natalie Leyland, whose parents own The Trafalgar pub on William Street at the junction by Victoria Street, said: "I just don't understand who would do this to a young lad. We never get anything like this round here, we've got such a lovely community.

"Whenever I let my lad play out I never think twice about him getting hurt. Everyone looks out for each other.

"When I heard what happened I panicked because my eight-year-old son was playing out at the time. I was so relieved to find out he was OK."

Next door neighbour Dee Wilson, a former teaching assistant, said: "I was absolutely gobsmacked when I heard what happened.

"I am not surprised really - I have seen the way drivers speed around here. I just can't believe they would deliberately go for a little boy like that."

Pc Adrian Spurrell, from the east Road Policing Unit, said: “The CCTV is crystal clear: the driver collided with a young boy then callously drove off, leaving him slumped in the road. Remarkably he only missed one day of school after suffering minor injuries but clearly the injuries could have been far worse or even fatal.

“To leave a young boy shocked and injured in the road, when you have no idea how seriously injured he may or may not be, shows a worrying level of apathy and regard for his welfare and I need the public’s help to identify the driver. If you know the driver or have information about them or the car, please call us.

"Perhaps someone you know has a similar car, came home in a state of shock or has been acting differently since the accident. If so I want to hear from you. I would also invite the driver to come forward now and talk to us of their own volition.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 8473.