A PILLION passenger was injured after the bike they were travelling on collided  with a car in the early hours of this morning.

The smash between the motorcycle and a black Volkswagen Golf, happened in Deane Road, Deane, at around 1.36am.

An eye-witness to the smash said the pillion passenger appeared to have sustained serious head injuries after coming off the bike.

They were taken to hospital but police confirmed that, despite initial fears,  their injuries were not thought  to be life-threatening.

The rider, a 25-year-old man, initially fled the scene of the crash, but returned shortly afterwards.

He and the driver of the Golf were breathalysed by police, but both provided negative samples, and alcohol has been ruled out as a factor in the incident.

Police also confirmed that both vehicles were “significantly damaged” in the collision.

The crash was caught on CCTV and police said they believed the investigation into it should therefore be “fairly straight forward”.

At the time of going to press no one had been arrested or charged with any criminal offence in connection with the collision.