A GRANDMOTHER says she “ended up in the gutter in agony” after she was knocked down by a hit-and-run cyclist.

Carole Pope was getting off the 208 bus in Masons Hill, Bromley, at 5.50pm last Thursday (Mar 26) when a cyclist rode between the pavement and the bus and crashed into her.

The 61-year-old suffered a broken shoulder bone, putting her out of work for the next three months.

She said: “The bike knocked me flying, and I ended up smashing my shoulder on the corner of the kerb.

“Thinking back there was not much space between the bus and the kerb, I just ended up in the gutter in agony.”

Mrs Pope, of Wellington Road, Bromley, says the cyclist who hit her fled the scene.

She said: “I gather he just disappeared before the police arrived.

“According to one of the witnesses he said stuff the ambulance, stuff her health, I’m off.

“He’s got no conscience, a terribly selfish person.”

The retired mother-of-two and grandmother-of-two went back to work as a medical secretary in February to pay for her 11-year-old dog’s £150-a-week cancer treatment.

But as she is on a temporary contract, she will not get any sick pay, forcing her to dip into her life savings.

She said: “I’m quite a strong person but this has angered me.

“It’s not only spoiled my ability to get to work, it’s wrecked my social life.

“I’m an amateur astronomer, I can’t use my equipment or do anything at the moment because I have only one hand.

“I can’t drive, everything’s been ruined for me at the moment, and he just walks away.”

Mrs Pope says bikes should be made to display number plates so they can be traced.

She said: “I am in a lot of pain, I don’t know if I will require surgery or how many months I am going to be unable to work for.

“I’ll have a loss of earnings, there’s nowhere you can claim compensation for someone injured by a bike.

“I think it’s time bikes were made to be responsible on the roads and they should have number plates.”

The cyclist, who was wearing a helmet, is believed to be in his late 30s to early 40s and was possibly wearing glasses.

Police are appealing to anyone with information to call 01689 891212 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

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