A PENSIONER was knocked down walking back from a Remembrance Day service.

The man, thought to be in his 80s, was airlifted to hospital after the accident in Brierfield.

Lancashire Road Police tweeted that Burnley Road at the junction of Halifax Road was closed earlier this afternoon. It has now re-opened.

A passer-by said: "The crew was working on him for an hour before they took him in air ambulance.

"My thoughts are with his family who was present with him."

Cllr Nawaz Ahmed, who represents the Brierfield area, said: "I believe he was attending the baptist church in Brierfield.

"It is very sad that something like this has happened.

"I have heard that the man had been to the war memorial before the accident and we can only presume he was paying his respects so it is sad on this day."Cllr Naeem Hussain Ashraf added: "It is a tragedy especially when we are remembering those who have died in the war."

Insp Paul Gaynor of Burnley Police said: "We are currently dealing with a road traffic collision between a car and a pedestrian. The pedestrian was airlifted to hospital.

"The road is going to be closed for a couple of hours and accident investigators are at the scene."

Insp Kim De Curtis of Burnley Police said: "The road was re-opened at 2pm and we know that the man was airlifted to a hospital in Leeds.

"There will be a full investigation into what happened.

"We would urge anyone with information about this accident on Halifax Road to get in touch with us with the log number of 557 on November 11."