A pensioner claims a reckless cyclist ran over her dog before fleeing the scene - leaving her with a £1.3k vets bill.

Justine Gill, 63, was walking her three dogs - two Chihuahuas and a Jack Russell cross - in Swalecliffe, Kent, on Thursday (February 6) when the incident is said to have taken place.

The retired English teacher says that she suddenly heard one of her Chihuahuas, called Bonnie, "screaming"."

She claims a man then came up to her and said he had seen her dog be run over by a cyclist.

Mrs Gill says she then asked the rider why he had not slowed down but, within seconds, the cyclist - who appeared to be a man in his 20s - fled.

She said: "I turned around to see my white Chihuahua – who is about three kilos – squirming on the ground in terrible pain."

"I didn't see what happened so the man came up to me telling me the cyclist ran over her back with both wheels."

"I am a very moderate person and not someone who swears at people or who is baying for blood."

"But it struck me the man had clearly injured my dog and he couldn't stop for more than 10 seconds."

Mrs Gill scooped up Bonnie and took her straight to the vet - where the seven-year-old dog went into shock.

She added: "They had her for the whole day and did X-rays checking for ruptured organs or a broken spine. "

"She was put on oxygen and medication for shock."

"I collected her at 6.30pm and the bill was £1,300. I'm not insured which is my own choice so I paid it."

"But I really felt the person who did this took no responsibility and more importantly, took no care. He didn't seem concerned he had hurt an animal."

Mrs Gill had been on the Oyster Bay Trail – a footpath surrounding the outskirts of an area which is subject to a Public Spaces Protection Order at the Long Rock Nature Reserve.

In this area, dogs must be kept on a lead or owners face being fined £100.

A sign at Long Rock asks cyclists to "please walk your bike on footpaths"."

However, the public footpath Mrs Gill was walking along is also a designated cyclepath.

Mrs Gill says she will not be reporting the incident to police and is not seeking for the cyclist to cover the vet bill.