A one-legged man who was run down by a drunk woman after she hijacked a horse-drawn carriage has said he'll be able to get out of the way if it happens again - with a new mobility scooter donated by regulars at his local pub.

Bob Tiller, 63, was sat on his mobility scooter in front of two shire horses stroking them and talking to one of the owners when a woman and her daughter climbed into the carriage and stunned the animals into bolting.

He was thrown from his scooter as the horses reared up outside the Good Companions pub in Roderick Avenue, Peacehaven, on July 8.

The scooter was written off after the accident leaving Mr Tiller almost housebound.

But now he is back out and about after pals stumped up to kit him out with a new machine.

He said: "The new scooter is great and absolutely wonderful. I'm over the moon with it.

"It's a lot better than my old one and a lot faster. I might be able to get out of the horses' way if it ever happens again.

"The old scooter was completely written off. I couldn't even put it in free wheel - it still wouldn't go.

"I've had people push me around since the accident and I lost my independence a bit but I'll be able to get around myself now.

"I'd just like to give my heartfelt thanks to everybody. It shows that people do care and its very very nice of them."

Pub landlord Mike Nelson said: "When he couldn't get out of the house I used to walk down the road and take him a beer. We all thought we would try and raise some money for a new scooter for him.

"The Argus featured our appeal a few weeks ago and then somebody anonymously donated the scooter. The money we had raised was spent servicing it and paying for a couple of new tyres."

The horse and carriage that was hijacked had been hired for a Sikh wedding at the town's Meridian Centre and had carried the bride and groom through the town at the head of a procession.

The carriage's owners Adie and Jane Matthews had pulled up outside the pub at the end of the day.

The shire horses were standing outside a pub when a woman and her daughter clambered aboard and whipped them into bolting.

As well as knocking Mr Tiller over the pair also ran over one of the horses' owners.

The animals, which weigh nearly a ton each, wrote off a parked car and the £10,000 carriage they were pulling was damaged beyond repair.

Mr Tiller, who lives next door to the pub in St David's Court, Balcombe Road, was left with a broken arm and needing stitches. Drinkers rushed to help him as he lay bleeding on the pavement.

A 32-year-old Peacehaven woman is due to report back to police on September 4 to discover if she faces any charges over the incident.