A toddler has broken her leg after being hit by a bicycle.

Two-year-old Matilda Murdock Cole was walking by the seafront near Fourth Avenue in Hove when she stumbled into the cycle path and was hit by a bike.

Mum Rebecca Murdock, 38, rushed her to casualty, where they discovered the two fractures.

Miss Murdock, of Tamworth Road, Hove, said: "I shouted to Matilda to watch out and she tried to get out of the way and the cyclist tried to swerve but it was too late and the bike went right over Matilda's legs and body.

"Matilda was screaming and I picked her up. The cyclist came back to make sure she was all right but left quickly and didn't leave his details."

The accident happened at 6.30pm on July 18. Miss Murdock called her policeman partner, Matilda's dad Paul Cole, who drove them to the hospital.

Matilda was transferred from the Royal Sussex County Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital for the night before being discharged the next day with her luminous pink cast.

Miss Murdock said: "I didn't see the cyclist coming and felt it was my fault. But I am also upset because the cyclist acted like he was blameless. You are going to get unpredictable little kids running around the promenade and cyclists come along too fast with headphones on."

A Brighton and Hove Council spokesman said: "Strictly speaking there are no speed limits - it's a question of individual responsibility.

"The cycle lane is clearly marked in a different material and colour to the pavement to help alert people."

A spokeswoman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "Parental supervision of children, particularly when children are too young to understand the markings, is crucial. Cyclists and roller skaters must also be aware pedestrians can behave in unexpected ways and take extra care when near families with children and adjust their speed accordingly."