Two people have been arrested after a police community support officer was injured in an alleged hit-and-run incident.

Scotland Yard said a 24-year-old man and a woman were arrested in Ilford, east London, following the incident in a secluded car park.

Detectives are treating the incident, which saw the 50-year-old officer hit while he was trying to speak to the driver of the car, as attempted grievous bodily harm.

He had responded, along with a colleague, to a complaint about drug dealing taking place opposite a library in North Street, Plaistow, at around 7.30pm on Wednesday.

It is believed he was attempting to speak to the driver of a red P-registration Nissan Primera at the time of the hit-and-run.

The driver sped off down a nearby road after colliding with the uniformed officer, leaving his fellow PCSO to phone for emergency assistance.

The injured officer is still in hospital after suffering a broken leg as well as wounds to his face and body which required surgery.

It is the second time in less than a week that a police officer has been run down by a suspected criminal.

Last Friday, Detective Constable Catherine Corbett suffered serious head injuries when she was hit by a car as she tried to detain a fraud suspect near Heathrow Airport.

© Independent Television News Limited 2009. All rights reserved.