A cyclist from Bury St Edmunds is in “disbelief” over what he described as reckless driving which saw him dragged along by a car.

East Anglian Daily Times: Chris Matthews' damaged bike following a fail to stop collision involving a car.Chris Matthews' damaged bike following a fail to stop collision involving a car. (Image: Contributed)

Chris Matthews, 26, who is assistant manager at LP bar and restaurant in Bury, was the victim of a fail to stop collision at Whepstead on Thursday evening.

Speaking to this newspaper, he described how he had been cycling along the B1066 with two friends when a driver drove into the back of his Giant TCR bike, dragging him along before he hit the ground.

As his foot was clipped into the pedal, he was dragged along with the bike before he was thrown off, the Vauxhall Corsa continuing with the bike attached before it stopped. The driver then reversed to free the bike and drove off.

Mr Matthews suffered severe grazing to his hands, forearms and buttocks and was taken to West Suffolk Hospital to have his injuries treated.

He said: “For me it’s disbelief someone could be so reckless and dangerous in the road. People think cyclists slow them down, but for a motorist to take 30 seconds off their journey it could be the price of somebody’s life.”

He added: “The majority of people are very considerate drivers, but there’s a few who aren’t. For something like this it was really shocking and took a while for it to sink in really.”

Mr Matthews, who is an experienced cyclist, said he was familiar with the road where the accident happened. He said he felt “quite lucky” as he could have suffered much more serious injuries.

Police at the scene found scrape marks along the road about 160 metres long, with the bike having sustained extensive damage.

Officers are keen to hear from anyone else who may have seen the collision or an older-style silver Vauxhall Corsa in the area at about 5pm to 5.10pm on Thursday.

The driver of the car is described as a white man, aged in his late forties, of a stocky build, with short light-coloured/greying hair and wearing a light blue shirt.

Anyone with information should contact Pc Hylton Garrick at the Bury St Edmunds Roads Policing and Firearms Operations Unit on 101.