POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a hit and run incident in Ledbury town centre, involving a van and a car.

The incident took place at around 4.45pm on Sunday, April 26, when a silver VW Touran had slowed to make a right turn from Bye Street into Market Street.

It was shunted from behind by a Silver Ford Transit.

The Touran was spun round in the road, badly shaking the driver who later declined medical treatment, after an ambulance arrived.

The Ford Transit failed to stop and was driven at speed towards Ledbury Town Centre, making a right turn into the High Street and recklessly shooting red lights, according to witnesses, on its way into the Southend.

It headed towards Gloucester and the M50 junction.

At least one oncoming vehicle had to pull aside, to avoid a collision. Police later found the van abandoned on a slip road close to junction 2 of the M50 motorway.

A witness to the aftermath of the Bye Street collision was Bye Street resident, Yvonne White, who said: "I heard the impact, the bang was tremendous, and I saw the van speed off.

"The van was evidently speeding if it could hit a car and spin it round like that."

As well as appealing for witnesses, police also intend to study CCTV footage.

Real-time monitoring of the town's CCTV has been reduced by Herefordshire Council, in favour of recording incidents, as a cost-cutting measure; and town councillor Tony Bradford said: "If the CCTV had been monitored live on Sunday, it could have been seen at once, and this is why I value live CCTV monitoring, as a valid tool to protect the community."

In a separate and unrelated incident, also on Sunday, a silver Nissan Micra turned over onto its side on the Worcester Road, close to the Knapp Lane junction.

The incident happened at 12.30pm, and no injuries were reported.

The driver reported the accident to the police, and the car was removed from the scene by 1.15pm.