A WOMAN was left lying on the ground in agony with a broken ankle in Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens after an accident with a thoughtless cyclist.

Anne Ball, from West Moors, said the man riding the bike did not check to see if she was okay and left her “screaming in pain”.

Cycling is not allowed on the main path in the gardens, Bournemouth council said.

Anne, 69, was walking down the slope leading from the entrance opposite the Square with her husband, Peter, when the incident happened.

The cyclist had a dog on a long lead attached to the bike and, as they approached Anne from behind, they passed either side of her. She became entangled in the dog’s lead and was tripped up, landing “face down on the tarmac”. She told the Echo it was only thanks to some “kind passers-by” that an ambulance was called for her.

“Although the man fell off his bike, he got up and pedalled off, leaving me on the ground with a broken ankle,” she said.

“I was screaming in pain and it enraged me that he didn’t stop to see what he had done to me. I was actually livid. How can people be so awful?”

She added: “I would like to thank the people who helped me, including two nurses, and the paramedic.”

Anne, who is a keen line dancer, said she was now “knee to toe in plaster” and would be on crutches for the next six to eight weeks.

Andy McDonald, head of parks, said: “There is a designated cycle route running alongside the gardens which we urge cyclists to use. We are sorry to learn of this incident and wish the lady a quick recovery.”

Anne said she had reported Wednesday’s incident to both the police and the council who told her that CCTV in the Lower Gardens would be reviewed.

Councillors Robert Chapman and David Smith, who are both members of the Lower Central Gardens Trust Board, said they were “very sorry” to hear about Anne’s ordeal.

“The cyclist should not have been cycling through there. It’s extremely busy in the gardens,” Cllr Smith said.

Cllr Chapman said: “To me, it’s common sense not to cycle through the gardens in view of the amount of people walking through there. We shall certainly have to take a look at the regulations in that area as we don’t want people hurt in this way.”