TOP Bolton runner Tom Carson fears he could be out for the season after being injured in a road accident.

The 22-year-old, one of the leading runners in the North West, was on his bike on St Helens Road on Tuesday when he was involved in a collision with a car that resulted in him sustaining a worrying hamstring injury and wounds to his leg and ankle.

While he is not sure how long his recovery will take, he admits it is a major setback to a season in which he has been in the best form of his life.

He has won the Red Rose Cross Country series for the fourth successive year and destroyed the field in a series of local and regional races, including winning by a huge six-minute margin in a half marathon last weekend.

His form earned him an invite as an elite runner in the Morrisons Great Manchester Run 10k on May 10 alongside some of the world's top runners including distance running great Haile Gebrselassie, former World champion Bernard Lagat and Britain's European 10,000m champion Jo Pavey.

Indeed, such has been Carson's progress that the Horwich RMI Harriers ace is currently looking into securing sponsorship to enable him to devote more time to his sport to see if he can reach the next level and compete on the national or even international stage.

The collision happened when Carson, from Horwich, was setting off for home on his bike after work on Tuesday evening and he will get a clearer picture of how long he will be out for after he has his hamstring is assessed on Monday.

He said: "I’m still trying to digest what’s happened so I wouldn’t like to think how long it will keep me out for.

“I’m going to see the orthopaedic surgeon on Monday so I’ll know a bit more after that but it’s definitely a major setback.

“It’s a real disappointment because my form has going up up up over the last six months.

"Ever since I won a 10k in Palma (Majorca) in October my form has been going in the right direction.

"I'm gutted because I love running and I can't get out, especially this week when the weather has been perfect for running.

"And I've got all these races I've won in the past and it's killing me that I can't defend my titles.

"I was really looking forward to the Morrisons Great Manchester 10k when all the big boys will be there.

"But I'm not going to be there and I'm probably not going to be able to get back training for a month or so, although that will depend on what they say on Monday. If they decide to operate I don't know how long it will be.

“My focus is just getting back. I need to sit down, recover and focus on coming back better and stronger."