A Sittingbourne woman was among a group of cyclists nearly knocked off their bikes by a lorry driver.

Keen velodrome rider Sally Smith, of Sterling Road, said she and her friends thought they were going to be crushed on the A2 in Faversham.

As the five of them pedalled towards Sittingbourne in single-file at around 4.43pm last Thursday, a lorry pulled up behind them “revving and obviously frustrated” to get past.

But as the vehicle swung out to overtake, the driver had obviously not seen an oncoming car and swayed back into the lane, just inches away from the cyclists.

Sally, 35, said: “I was right at the back and slammed on the brakes but that was the last I saw of the group. I was terrified about what could have happened.

“Luckily they had managed to pull their bikes up onto the pavement. Had they not done that, they would’ve been under that lorry.

“It was terrifying. Thankfully nobody was hurt but in all my 10 years of cycling, I have never reported dangerous driving to the police. It is not rare that we have people shouting at us, but this is very different.”

She said the group were shaken by the near miss and had to take a break before moving on but it has not deterred them from future trips.

She says the lorry drove on seemingly oblivious.

In the past the group has suffered verbal abuse, had eggs lobbed at them and a handful of coins thrown in their face.

Sally said: “We are vulnerable on the road and I know not everyone likes cyclists but this put people’s lives at risk. A vehicle is a lethal weapon and drivers should be more aware.

“We tend to stick to country lanes to avoid the traffic but sometimes you have to use the busier roads to cut through. I’m just so glad everyone is OK.”

Police spokesman Carly Wymark said officers are carrying out inquiries.