A 19-year-old celebrating his first holiday abroad with friends is in a critical condition in hospital after he was hit by a car only hours after arriving.

Jamie Sweet, of Sedley Close, Aylesford, had just arrived at his holiday destination on the Greek island of Zante when he was hit by a car.

He suffered serious head injuries and has had two pieces of skull removed to alleviate pressure on his brain.

Jamie has not regained consciousness since the accident on August 11 and remains in a critical condition in hospital, with his parents, Cindy and Paul Sweet, at his bedside.

Grandmother Pam Cox, from Leybourne, said: "None of us can think straight and we are falling apart. His parents are devastated and are absolute wrecks."

* See the Malling edition of the Kent Messenger (Friday, August 31) for the full story.