Hampshire Police said the two-year-old and his father were struck by the silver BMW saloon while they were sitting on the beach at Yaverland.

The boy was killed and his father taken to St Mary's Hospital, Newport, with leg and pelvic injuries, police said.

The BMW fell 12ft from a car park in the incident at 1630 BST on Saturday.

The driver, a local man in his 40s, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

'Absolutely tragic'

A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said he had earlier been taken to hospital suffering from shock.

The boy's mother was "traumatised" but uninjured, police said.

Officers have appealed for anyone who witnessed the incident or saw the BMW in the car park to get in touch.

Sergeant Paul Baines, of Hampshire police, said: "The inquiry is at a very early stage, but the driver has been arrested and will be interviewed later.

"We are hoping to trace witnesses who saw the car before the incident, or who actually saw what happened."

A member of Yaverland sailing club, Cran Davies, said it seemed the car may have rolled over the edge of the council-run car park to crash on to the beach below.

He said: "It's a very busy beach area. I was down here at 1500 BST and the car park was absolutely chock-a-block - it has been wonderful weather.

"Things like this put a dampener on everything. It is absolutely tragic."

Yaverland, at the northern end of Sandown Bay, is a popular family beach and a favourite for water sports.