A rider was badly injured when she was thrown from her horse after an accident with a delivery van.

The 44-year-old woman was riding along Honeywick Lane in Chiddingly, near Hailsham, at 1pm yesterday when a Transit-style van overtook them.

The van and horse came in contact and the woman was thrown off.

She was taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital with broken ribs, a punctured lung and head injuries.

The horse suffered minor leg injuries but was not badly hurt.