A CYCLIST was seriously hurt after being knocked off his bike during last evening rush hour.

The man, 55, suffered serious head injuries after a collision with a silver BMW in Syke Street, close to Tesco in Haslingden at around 5.45pm last night.

He was unconscious when he was flown to Royal Preston Hospital by air ambulance in a serious condition, police said.

Inspector Ilyas Mohamed said: “The road is closed and will be for a few hours.

"Specialist traffic officers are dealing with the incident, and some are heading to hospital to speak with the injured party. It is serious.”

Traffic queued between the Bent Gate roundabout in Manchester Road and Haslingden Road as commuters made their way home from work. It began to ease at around 8pm.

An investigation into the cause of the crash is underway. One witness described seeing officers measuring thick black skid marks on the road’s surface.

Nobody was arrested in the immediate aftermath, Insp Mohamed added.