A five-year-old boy was hit by a car while retrieving his toy from the road.

The youngster was injured yesterday while walking to school with his mother at around 8.35am on Church Street in Old Catton, on the outskirts of Norwich.

He had gone to retrieve his toy, which had fallen into the road, outside Old Catton Junior School when the accident happened.

The year one Garrick Green Infant School pupil suffered minor injuries to his mouth and head and was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital as a precaution.

Headteacher Rebecca Dewing said there are traffic problems on both Garrick Green, where the youngster's school is, and outside Old Catton Junior School.

Mrs Dewing added: 'We were all horribly shocked when we heard what happened and we just imagined the worst. We have spoken to the children in assembly and told them the importance of road safety. They might have it [a road safety lesson] once a year but they have to remember it all year round.

'This is a really busy area for parking and the volume of traffic is a problem.'

She said the local PCSO was monitoring parking in the surrounding area, partly because of the narrow nature of the road. PC Sam Hales was called to the scene and said the incident was not a serious one.

The car involved was travelling in a 20mph zone towards Spixworth Road and the youngster and his mother were walking in the opposite direction.

PC Hales added there was no suggestion that the driver was to blame for the crash.

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