A Letchworth cyclist who was knocked over the bonnet of a car while on his way to work has spoken of his shock after seeing the driver speed off while he was sprawled on the ground.

It was a normal trip to work at Autoglym for Ben Melton on Tuesday last week until at about 7.10am he turned right to go over the bridge after the roundabout from Green Lane, felt a bang and suddenly found himself in the road.

After struggling to his feet to drag himself and his bike off the road and to safety, he collapsed to the ground, only to see the driver of the car looking towards him – before speeding off in the direction of Works Road.

The 26-year-old suffered cuts to his knees and is still experiencing pain in his left foot, his shoulders, his back and his neck, while his bike is only good enough for scrap.

Ben, who lives in Elderfield, said: “At the time I did not really know what had happened, and was just laying there on the grass.

“I was very shaken after the incident, but also thankful as it could have been a lot worse.

“I was so shocked to see the man in the car just look at me to see if I was moving, and then drive off.

“I’m still funny about riding my bike on the roads now.

“I’ve not had trouble with drivers before, as I’m always very careful, and they’re usually careful of me too. I haven’t heard anything back from the police yet, but hopefully somebody saw something.”

Ben – who has always lived in Letchworth – bought the bike originally as a project and had spent £100 on it, but he has now been forced to fork out £300 for a replacement.

The driver is described as being a clean shaven man in his mid-30s with short brown hair and is believed to have been driving a white Citroen DS 3 with the number plate starting with the digits 118.

Police are investigating and if anyone saw anything in relation to the incident they are encouraged to call the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.