AN ELDERLY bus passenger suffered serious injuries after she was hit by a stolen pickup truck in a hit-and-run incident.

The 94-year-old woman, who has yet to be named, was tonight said to be in a stable condition in Darlington Memorial Hospital.

The woman had suffered a fractured leg and pelvis and cuts and bruises while she was waiting for a bus near her Darlington home.

She and about half-a-dozen more passengers were waiting for a bus on Hundens Lane at 9.30am on Saturday.

A silver Mazda 4x4 pickup truck clipped a kerb and lost control before careering towards the bus stop, opposite Brunel Way.

The woman and another man were struck.

The driver drove off after hitting the pair and later abandoned the truck, which was found to be stolen, in Snipe Lane, near Stressholme Golf Club.

The woman was taken to hospital but has yet to be interviewed by police.

The man was treated for just superficial injuries before being discharged.

Det Chf Insp Paul Harker, from Darlington police, said: "It is imperative that we speak to anyone who was in the Hundens Lane or Snipe Lane areas of Darlington and saw this vehicle being driven around on Saturday morning.

"We especially want to speak to those who were near the crash and near the dumping of the vehicle."

The van was found by police and discovered to have been stolen from the Blackwell area of Darlington.

DCI Harker added: "This is an extremely serious incident with a callous twist. The driver of the Mazda would have known full well he had struck someone and left them lying injured on the ground.

"He failed to stop and simply drove off.

"I would appeal to him to look at his conscience and come and see me before we come knocking on his door."

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Durham Police on 0845-60-60-365 or Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.