THE mother of a man seriously injured after he was hit by a car in Burnley fears her son may never recover from his injuries.

Terry Sykes said doctors could not guarantee her son Anthony, 25, of Cog Lane, would make a full recovery after he suffered a fractured skull and bruised brain when he was struck by a Vauxhall Astra convertible in Westgate.

Anthony was yesterday recovering in hospital after the incident when he got off a bus at about 9.30pm on Saturday.

He was returning home from his brother Daniel's house in Ingham Street, Padiham.

Miss Sykes, 44, of Beech Street, Padiham, has been keeping a vigil at her son's hospital bed since the accident.

Following the collision Anthony was admitted to intensive care and put on a ventilator then transferred to a ward on Wednesday.

Miss Sykes said she was hoping Anthony would recover enough to be allowed home for Christmas, otherwise she said the family would celebrate it with him in hospital.

She added: "He has a fractured skull and bruising to his brain because the impact shunted his brain forward into his skull.

"The doctors said with head injuries nothing is 100 per cent guaranteed. I am trying to take one day at a time."

It is not known how the accident happened, but Miss Sykes called for improvements to be made to make Westgate safer for pedestrians.

She said: "Something needs to be done. There's a subway lower down but it is full of dirty needles and has no lights so no-one is going to use it."

Brother Daniel, 20, added: "The first time I saw him I couldn't handle it. I have been coming every day and have seen him get a little better."

The driver of the Astra, who was not injured, gave a negative breath test at the roadside, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident should call police on 01282 472542.