Police this afternoon appealed for witnesses after an eight-year-old boy was hit by a bus in Oxford.

The boy was injured crossing the road with his mother and family in the incident involving an Oxford Bus Company park-and-ride bus at the junction of Marston Road and Headington Road at the bottom of Headington Hill at about 4.20pm yesterday.

Sgt Peter Jell said: “I am appealing to anyone who saw the collision, or was a passenger on the bus at the time of the collision, to contact me.

“It was initially thought that the boy’s injuries were not serious but his condition later became worse and he is now in intensive care at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

“Some passengers might have left the bus, thinking that it was a minor collision, and it is these people we need to speak to as they might have vital information to help with our investigation.”

Anyone with information can contact Sgt Jell via 0845 8 505 505, or if you don’t want to talk to the police or give your name, call the Crimestoppers charity on 0800 555 111.