The mother of an eight-year-old boy left severely injured after he was mown down by a moped rider in a horrific hit-and-run has called for balaclavas to be banned. Ethan Hodson-Ridgway was hurled 10ft (3m) into the air after two balaclava-clad yobs ploughed into him just outside his home on December 20 last year.

The "traumatised" youngster suffered a broken tibia and fibula in his left leg, a collapsed lung and a gash to his head. He was in hospital for a week over Christmas. Mum, Amy Hodson-Ridgway, 34, is campaigning for a ban on balaclavas, claiming they "provide anonymity to countless individuals committing crimes". She also wants greater regulations for mopeds and electric bikes.

A petition Amy set up has already amassed more than 50,000 signatures. It says balaclavas and bikes without number plates "embolden criminals" and help them to "evade accountability".

Despite clear video footage, police could not identify the suspects who fled the scene due to their identities being hidden. The case was closed after three weeks.

Amy, from Denton, Greater Manchester, left her job to take care of Ethan. She said: "Balaclavas have provided anonymity to countless individuals committing crimes in our neighbourhood.

"It has made it nearly impossible for law enforcement to identify and prosecute perpetrators. This single piece of clothing has turned our community into a breeding ground for lawlessness and fear.

"They embolden criminals, from petty thieves to dangerous drivers, allowing them to evade accountability."

Ethan was with his stepfather, Charlie, 27, and twin sister, Olivia, on their way back from the shops on the first day of the Christmas holidays when he was hit by the moped travelling at around 45mph. Olivia rushed home to alert Amy.

She said: "It's definitely traumatised us all - his twin sister, older brother Jack, Charlie and me."

Amy said it was around six o'clock on December 20 when they were crossing the road. She said the moped came out of nowhere at great speed, with no lights, no plates and hitting Ethan head-on.

The mum said: "I still have flashbacks of when his sister ran in the house to get me - the look of pure terror on her face. I ran outside, and luckily, they were right next to our house.

"I was expecting to see he'd just fallen, but he was on the floor, not even crying, but moaning, blood everywhere."

Amy said initially she thought both legs were broken because one was so swollen and she could see bone under the skin of the other.

She recalled: "It was freezing, but I just sat on the concrete with him in my arms. It was horrible. He just kept saying to me, 'Is this real life mummy?'. He wasn't with it, just awful."

Ethan needed stitches to his head at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and had to wait to get a metal rod inserted into his leg as a result of the collapsed lung.

Amy said: "This is a family populated area, but the bikes are going around everywhere, and the balaclavas are purely being used to hide someone's identity so they can get away with things.

"It was disappointing that the police didn't do anything, but it's also understandable. It's hard to identify someone with one on.

"Only two or three days after Christmas, the bikes were back around the area, and I sent some footage to the police, but they didn't take it. It's impossible to identify them, the balaclavas are obviously the issue, and the bikes are really dangerous."

On her campaign, she said: "Changes to balaclavas and these bikes would make a big difference. Our local streets, once vibrant and safe for our children to play, have become looming shadows of threat and insecurity.

"So we are calling upon local authorities and lawmakers to take decisive action by banning balaclavas in public areas and implementing stricter enforcement measures against illegal moped usage."

Amy said her young son's resilience pulled the whole family through the ordeal. She added: "But when they're out now, they're always on high alert. On the walk to school, they'll hear a bike and squeeze my hands, looking around.

"They don't want to play out the front anymore, because our house goes onto a walkway and bikes are always flying past."

She added: "I feel a lot of anger that Ethan was hurt, and these people got away with it, but the sense of community and love for Ethan has been heart-warming."