A hairdresser says she was left “out for the count” lying on the pavement after tripping on the uneven and pot-holed surface.

Toni Bullen was out for a day in Dymchurch with daughter Lisa on the Day of Syn festival, which celebrates the area's smuggling past, when the accident happened.

She is now in a wheelchair after her fall in Mill Road and says the problems with the pavement surface have not been addressed by Kent County Council, despite warnings.

She suffered a shattered ankle in two places, along with ripped cartilage in her opposite knee, and banged her head on a drain cover.

Ms Bullen said: “The injuries have been horrific, it left me stunned lying on the pavement with everyone crowding around.

“Everyone there seemed to know that this stretch of pavement is notorious.

“So locals know to take care, but for someone just walking along, you’re not expecting it at all and I was completely unaware.

“One gentleman who helped me said it had been reported to the council as lots of elderly people walk along there, but nothing has been done to fix it.

“I’m in my 50s but I wouldn’t say I’m elderly or frail.

“I ended up being the idiot who was left out for the count.”

It has meant that she faces months off work as a self-employed hairdresser, while Lisa Bullen has had to cancel a planned holiday cruise this month because it is not safe to be on board with the injuries.

Ms Bullen, of Repton Park in Ashford, added: “I’m now off work for months and I feel really depressed. My daughter has effectively become my carer.

“I live in a first-floor apartment, so every day I have to crawl down the stairs and back up, I feel like I’ve lost my dignity.”

A Kent County Council spokesman said: "We are very concerned to hear what has happened.

"We have inspected Mill Road and surrounding area and could not find any defect.

"The Highway Steward contacted the customer whilst on site and established the incident occurred in St Mary’s Road, not Mill Road and an inspection will be carried out and any defect identified will be repaired accordingly.

"Our Highway inspectors regularly check the pavement for defects but we encourage people to help us identify any problems and report them via our website kent.gov.uk."