An 11-year-old boy remains in critical condition after he was hit by a police car in Lancaster.

A senior officer said her “thoughts and prayers” are with his family after he was hit by the car and its lights responding to the emergency.

Lancashire Chief Constable Karen Edwards spoke to the press this afternoon.

was the boy left in critical condition In hospital and still serious injuries, confirmed.

He was initially taken to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary but was later transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool for further treatment.

The senior officer did not answer questions after reading a statement.

The child was crossing Owen Road shortly before 8:30 pm Thursday evening when he was hit.

The Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC) is conducting an investigation into how the police handled the incident.

An IOPC spokesperson said its investigation began at 10.37pm on Thursday.

“Our investigation will look into the actions of the Lancashire Police officers prior to the collision,” the authority said in an updated statement today.

IOPC Regional Director Catherine Bates added: “This is an extremely tragic accident and my thoughts are with the boy, his family and all those affected by the accident.

“There is a mandatory requirement for forces to refer to us accidents like this, which result in death or serious injury, and our investigation will carefully examine the circumstances prior to the collision, including whether appropriate policies and procedures were followed.”

Police had appealed for any information after the incident, including CCTV or dashcam footage from nearby, adding: “Our thoughts are with loved ones at this time.”