A cyclist is suing the council for up to £50,000 after falling off her bike in a cycle lane.

Isabella Vanni was cycling to visit a friend when she said she crashed into a kerb and was thrown off her bike into the road.

The 39-year-old claims she suffered fractures to her right elbow and her left wrist, which later required surgery.

Ms Vanni, of Hove said: “My accident not only left me unable to work, but I was also too weak and too nervous to ride my bike until just this month.

“I had been planning to start an upholstery business, as this is a hobby of mine, but these plans have had to be put on hold while I recover which is very disappointing.”

Ms Vanni said the accident happened in the cycle lane along The Drive, Hove, just before the junction into Upper Drive, in July last year.

She said she collided with a splitter island separating the cycle lane and the main road.

Paul Kitson, head of personal injury at Russell Jones and Walker, the solicitors representing Ms Vanni, said: “There are a number of reasons why the splitter island installed by the council is poorly conceived and ultimately caused Ms Vanni to be seriously injured.

“The position is dangerous as it is just before a junction, the kerb is low and hard to see on the road and it is not marked in any way, either with signage, bollards or reflective strips. This is contrary to design recommendations.

“Ms Vanni is a capable cyclist whose injuries would have easily been avoided if proper planning had been done by the council.”

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokeswoman said the authority did not want to comment because of the pending legal action.