A car carrying four young people span out of control and crashed into a man standing outside a seafront pub.

The 34-year-old pedestrian suffered serious injuries while one of the teenage passengers had to be cut free from the wreck of the G-reg Ford Fiesta.

The pedestrian was hurt while standing near a bus stop outside the Cutter pub in East Parade, Hastings, at 9.15pm last night.

Police said he was taken to the Conquest Hospital in Hastings where his condition this morning was described as serious but not life-threatening.

Debris littered the pavement and road far beyond the impact site.

Front car passenger Kirsty Baker, 16, was cut free by fire crews and taken to the Conquest with non life-threatening injuries.

Her tearful mother and sister were phoned by emergency services and went to the scene to accompany her in the ambulance.

Kirsty's sister, Ashley, 18, said today: "She has got a few broken bones and will be in hospital for between two and six weeks. She is heavily dosed-up on morphine but we're glad it wasn't more serious. We're all really shaken up."

The 22-year-old driver, along with two other teenage passengers, sustained minor injuries, including cuts and shock.

Back seat passenger Arron Gardner, 17, said the car lost control on a greasy bend as they cruised around town listening to music.

He said: "We felt a jolt as the car came round the bend. The next thing I knew we span round, mounted the kerb and smashed into a lamp post and dustbin.

"I heard people screaming and couldn't understand what was happening. It was absolutely awful and cannot believe we weren't more seriously hurt.

"We're lucky to be alive. Thankfully, we weren't travelling fast and all had seatbelts on."

Part of Hastings seafront was closed for an hour as fire crews cut the car's roof off to free Kirsty, a GCSE pupil at Filsham Valley.

CCTV cameras overlooking the crash site are being examined for clues about how the smash happened.

Any witnesses to the Hastings crash should call WPC Cathy Connell at the poad policing unit in Bexhill on 01424 456086.