An antique shop owner has become the first British woman to finish the 5,600-mile Dakar Rally.

The fourth attempt proved lucky for 40-year-old Patsy Quick, of Heathfield, who finished in 88th position out of 93 bike riders who made it to the end.

The race was marred by a crash that led to the death of Australian Andy Caldecott.

In 2003, Ms Quick pulled out of the 18-day desert race when she ruptured her spleen and, last year, she had to give up because of a flat battery.

Then, last month, she crashed her motorbike in the Sahara Desert and was towed for 50km through the sand in the dark for six hours.

Her support rider Clive Town, 37, also from Heathfield, finished the race one place behind her.

Ms Quick, who runs Toad Hall Antiques in High Street, Heathfield, spoke to The Argus while celebrating at a hotel bar in Dakar, Senegal, with her husband Clive Dredge, who worked as part of her back up team, called Team Desert Rose.

She said: "We've had our fair share of problems along the way but the main thing was making sure we got back safely each day.

"It's been a hard Dakar and a sad one as well, the death affected us all.

"We have questioned why we're doing it because it isn't really a very safe ride but I couldn't stop.

"I'm a very determined person and I've always known 100 per cent I was capable of doing it."

She started training for the race last May and had to raise £75,000 to take part.

"My biggest fear this time would have been failing to finish again.

"I couldn't have taken that but I felt this would be the year.

"It felt incredible to finish and to be the first British woman to complete it.

"It was a combination of elation and relief that I could give something back to the people who supported me."

She said she was flying back to Britain today and was looking forward to getting back to Heathfield this evening.

She said: "You end up in a hotel in Dakar, which seems a bit surreal after spending so long in the desert.

"Suddenly, we're back in civilisation.

"I'm just catching the last of the sun, sitting in the bar and getting over the fact we achieved it."

Ms Quick won the British Women's Enduro Championship title in 2000 and, the following year, she won both the European Women's Enduro Championship and the British Women's Moto-Cross Championship.