Neighbours who ran to the aid of a man who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run in Bungay have said they might never have known he was lying in the street had it not been for his dog.

The barking during the early hours of yesterday alerted Jane Mounser and her partner Kevin, who rushed to the pitch-black street to help.

The man in his 40s, who is believed to be from the Bungay area, suffered a fractured pelvis and ribs and a serious head injury after being in collision with a car in Bridge Street at around 1.45am.

He was unconscious but breathing when neighbours called for help at the scene, and was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and later transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital. Mrs Mounser, 45, who was asleep at her home in Bridge Street, said: 'I heard a crash and then I heard a dog barking. My first thought was that the dog had been hit but when we got there, there was a poor chap lying in the road.

'One of my neighbours had already called for an ambulance so we stayed with him until the ambulance and police turned up.

'It is lucky he had his dog with him because we might not have known he was there if the dog wasn't barking.

'The street lights were off and it was pitch black so I had to get the torch to see and that's when we saw the man in the road.'

A police investigation is under way to trace the driver of the car, who did not stop at the scene and officers believe a Nissan Qashqai was involved.

The man's dog was left in the care of Mrs Mounser. She said: 'We took the dog in and the police called round a few places and we were told to take it to Wherry Vets in Bungay as that's where it was registered, so we dropped him off there.

'The dog was quite distressed to start with but he did calm down and he was very good considering.'

Mrs Mounser did not see the collision but said she had long had concerns about speeding along the road.

She said: 'Everyone speeds down the street, especially late at night because it's one-way and they know no other traffic will be coming.'

Another Bridge Street resident, who has three children, said she had always feared an accident would happen on the road.

She said: 'It's absolutely ridiculous the speed people travel. It seems like every other car is speeding, and it makes the windows in my house vibrate. I think people do 50, 60, 70mph plus and ever since I moved in I have said that one day someone is going to get hurt.'

Officers are appealing for the driver of the car to get in touch, and are also asking anyone who saw the incident or has details about the vehicle or driver to call PC Shane Schucroft at the Joint Suffolk and Norfolk Serious Collision Investigation Team on 101, quoting CAD number 20 of May 13.