A CYCLIST was taken to hospital after being hit by a van which was being followed by police.

The incident happened in Long Eaton just after midnight yesterday.

Police cars had been following the van from around 11.40pm after it made off from officers who had thought the driver was acting suspiciously.

Following the collision, the 23-year-old male cyclist was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre with non-life threatening injuries and kept overnight for observation.

The 23-year-old driver, from Beeston, was arrested shortly after the incident and has been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Notts Police have referred the collision to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

A spokeswoman for Notts Police said this was standard procedure where police were involved in an incident following someone being injured.

The spokeswoman added: "If there is police contact with a collision, we tend to voluntarily transfer it to the IPCC to show we're completely transparent. If anyone had obtained serious injuries as part of the accident, a referral would have been mandatory.

"But because they were only minor, it was voluntary."

The IPCC said it would now be assessing whether it would need to get involved.

The van collided with the man in Harlaxton Drive at the junction with Nottingham Road.

Police closed Nottingham Road at its junction with Station Road in Long Eaton, and the nearby High Road. Roads re-opened at around 9.15am yesterday.

The driver was arrested around ten minutes after the collision in Barton Lane, Toton. He was kept in police custody on suspicion of dangerous driving, failing a roadside breath test and failing to stop for a police vehicle. He also received medical treatment for a minor head injury.

Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.