Witnesses say they tried to flag down a "reckless driver" who left two young girls in hospital yesterday (April 14) after allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road.

The incident took place on the junction between Dartmouth Road and London Road in Forest Hill at roughly 2.45pm, when a vehicle hit two girls aged seven and 13 who were crossing the road.

John Fillary was crossing the junction when the collision took place.

He said: "I heard this car rev very loudly and I looked toward Dartmouth Road where the engine noise came from. I saw the car pull out of the line of traffic and drive on the wrong side of the road."

Mr Fillary, aged 31, of Cranston Road said the car increased in speed down the road and added: "The girls didn’t hear or see them coming."

He said: "The car hit them on its front left side. It hit them and I heard a crunch noise from the car and saw them fly back onto the pavement."

Witness Julia Field, who works at the Village Way hair salon on Dartmouth Road, said: "I heard people shouting and everything. The girls were very shaken up."

After the girls were hit and knocked over, she said the car continued to drive over the junction to "try and drive away".

Other witnesses saw one man in the passenger seat get out of the car and flee the scene after the vehicle got stuck in traffic on the opposite side of the junction.

Passers-by were said to be shouting at the car to stop, while other witnesses took photos and took down the vehicle’s number plate.

Ms Field says the two girls were cousins who were visiting the area and that she offered them into her salon to wait for the ambulance.

She said: "I picked up the little girl, who was finding it hard to walk and others help the other girl and brought them in and sat them down.

"One girl was put in a wheelchair by paramedics because she couldn’t walk properly."

Both girls were taken to Lewisham Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

It is not yet clear whether any arrests were made.