A shocked mother has warned a council it is gambling with people's lives after her sons were injured in an accident outside a bingo hall.

Julie Braggs says Brighton and Hove City Council must move its recycling bins on Portland Road, Hove, or run the danger of serious injury to a pedestrian.

Mrs Braggs, of Moyne Close, Hove, said bins and skips outside Gala Bingo caused a blind spot for drivers turning into the club's car park, blocking their view of anyone approaching along the pavement.

The council said its bins had been there for years without causing problems but promised to inspect them to check they had not been moved.

Adam Braggs, 14, and his brother Christopher, 12, were left shocked and bruised after being knocked off their bicycles as they cycled along the pavement on Sunday.

Adam's bike was destroyed in the collision. The driver stopped briefly but drove off without reporting the accident.

Police are now trying to trace him.

Mrs Braggs said: "Thankfully my son has only got a badly-bruised knee but it could have been much worse if they hadn't braked sharply and gone into the side of the car. The whole suspension came off my oldest son's bike.

"My youngest was riding behind and went straight into his brother.

"To turn into the bingo hall, cars are having to do a sharp left after going past the bins. Basically it's a blind spot.

"It could have been a mother pushing a pram. And there is a school nearby.

"I think they should move the bins to a more suitable place, where cars can see pedestrians going along the pavement."

A spokeswoman for the council said: "The bins have been there for years without causing problems for drivers. They cannot be creating a 'blind spot' as there are parked cars on the road beyond where these bins are placed.

"However, in response to Mrs Braggs' comments, we are sending an inspector to the site to make sure they have not been moved."