A GRANDMOTHER suffered horrific injuries when she was thrown from her milk van after it was hijacked by a thief.

Mrs Anita Anderson was taken on a terror ride when the thief drove off in the van as she and her husband Lou were on their round in Gigg Lane, Bury.

As Mrs Anderson was eventually thrown clear, she suffered a severed artery in her leg, broken fingers and multiple cuts and bruises.

She said: "All I could think about was holding on for dear life. I knew if I fell out then I would be killed or seriously injured.

The drama happened last Thursday as Mrs Anderson, aged 53, climbed into the back of the van believing Mr Anderson, aged 55, was driving. But as the van set off at speed she realised something was wrong.

"I looked at the driver and realised it was not Lou. He had fallen out of the back doors when the van was driven off. A number of milk bottle crates fell on top of him, covering him in broken glass. I was shouting at the thief to stop so I could jump out, but he just kept driving faster. He was swerving and doing his best to make me lose my grip and fall out."

The grandmother of four was eventually thrown out of the side door of the van into Gigg Lane where she rolled for a short distance before hitting a kerb. She was covered in blood.

Mrs Anderson is now recovering at her home in Tottington.

Her husband, who has been delivering milk in Bury for 28 years, suffered minor cuts and bruising. The £10,000 white Mercedes Vito van is still missing.

Detective Constable Laurence Dixon from Bury CID is appealing for help in catching the thief, who is described as white, with short brown hair. He was wearing a blue baseball cap. Anyone who witnessed the incident or can help identify the offender is asked to contact DC Dixon on 856 8150 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.