A two-and-a-half-year-old boy died after being dragged 300 metres by a hit-and-run driver as he was being escorted across the road to buy sweets.

Joshua Berrill was out with his 13-year-old aunt, Millie Robinson, when they were hit by a car in Alum Rock, Birmingham, on Wednesday evening.

Joshua was dragged along Burney Lane by the car while his aunt suffered a broken ankle and severe shock. The toddler was left lying next to a paper recycling bin opposite his grandparents' home.

The children were taken to Heartlands hospital after the incident which happened at about 7.10pm.

However, Joshua died in the early hours of yesterday morning. Millie was later said to be comfortable.

Joshua's mother, Nona Robinson, said: "He was such a lovely child. I can't believe he has been taken away from me. I'm still in a state of shock and can't believe I will never see him again.

"He used to get into bed with me every night and wrap his arms around me and we used to have to hold hands every night. He was always getting into mischief but he was one of a kind. Everyone that met him fell in love with him."

She said Joshua had been staying at his grandmother's house to give her a break as she was five months' pregnant.

Her sister, Millie, had been taking him to the shops to buy some sweets when they were hit.

She added: "I'm really worried about Millie because she thinks that it is all her fault - she has to live with the experience for the rest of her life and she is only a baby herself."

Joshua's grandmother, Rosa Robinson, 43, said: "I had a knock on the door and I was told there had been an accident."

She said she rushed to the scene to find Millie sitting on kerb screaming: "Where's the baby, where's the baby?"

West Midlands police said yesterday that an 18-year-old man from Ward End, Birmingham, had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

Police said an abandoned car had been found about half a mile from the scene of the incident. Acting Detective Chief Inspector Nick Murphy appealed for anyone witnesses to come forward immediately.

Roads in the area were cordoned off for more than five hours as specialist crash scene investigators carried out an examination.

Sabir Hussain, who has lived in the road for seven years, said: "Residents have been campaigning with the council since last year to have traffic calming measures."