THE cyclist who was hit by a dangerous carjacker in Ulverston remains in a critical condition in hospital where his family are by his side.

The motorist wanted for a hit-and-run after stealing an elderly woman's car at a service station is still on the run almost 24 hours after police launched a manhunt for him.

Lancashire Police's helicopter crew were called in last night to help search for a hit-and-run driver who remains on the loose this morning.

The motorist was involved in a collision which left a cyclist in a critical condition.

The accident happened in Ulverston, at the junction of Park Road and Priory Road, yesterday and involved a black VW Polo and a male cyclist.

The cyclist, a 24-year-old man from Ulverston, was taken to the Royal Preston Hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance in a critical condition. His condition this morning has been described as critical and police said his family are with him.

The vehicle was found abandoned in the nearby area.

Police were already looking for the vehicle at the time of the collision following incidents committed in the Lancashire area.

The first incident happened shortly before midday yesterday when a 60 year old woman was sitting in the passenger side of a Range Rover Evoque in the car park at Forton Services Northbound.

A man got into the car and made threats towards her.

She managed to get out of the car and raise the alarm and the man left the vehicle before making off from the scene in a white transit van and headed north on to the motorway.

A second incident was reported shortly after 12.30pm today at Truckhaven Services in Carnforth. An elderly woman was driving her black Volkswagen Polo into the services and was followed by a white van.

As she parked up, a man got into the passenger side and demanded that she get out of the car. The woman got out and the man drove off in her Polo.

The man is described as 5ft 10 inches, with dark blond hair, of stocky build, wearing jeans and a white-coloured t-shirt.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A police helicopter is circling Ulverston tonight <a href="https://t.co/6cUacckQuP">pic.twitter.com/6

Supt Rob O’Connor said: “We ask anyone who has seen the man involved to contact police immediately. He is believed to be dangerous so we ask that you do not approach him.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We are searching for a man involved in a collision in Ulverston at 3.20pm, pls do not approach him and call 101: <a href="https://t.co/Mnzw1tuu0e">https://t.co/Mnzw1tuu0e</a></p>— Cumbria Police (@Cumbriapolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/Cumbriapolice/status/890249579928670208">July 26, 2017</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Detective Inspector Andy Ellis from Lancashire Police said: “Both these incidents must have been extremely frightening for both women and thankfully they were not seriously injured.

While we are at an early stage of our enquiries we believe these incidents could be linked and we are keen to trace the man described.

"If anyone was at either of these services around the time the incidents took place and witnessed what happened I would urge them to contact us as soon as possible. Similarly if you have seen the VW Polo since it was stolen then please get in touch.”

The collision has been referred to the Constabulary's Professional Standards Department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.