A cyclist who was left lying in a puddle of her own blood on a road near Ottery, with no recollection of what happened, has issued a plea for witnesses.

The woman, who has asked to remain anonymous but will be referred to as Mrs Smith, has called on anyone who can help her piece together what happened on the evening of June 21.

The 37-year-old was riding through Fairmile, towards Honiton, at around 8.30pm.

Emergency services were called to the scene at a junction near Fairmile Lane at 8.35pm and found Mrs Smith lying in the road with a head serious injury.

The mother-of-two, from the Honiton area, suffered a brain injury and damage to her right temporal lobe and had to be flown to Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, in an air ambulance.

The bicycle was found across the road with its wheels separated from the frame, and barely any damage.

Mrs Smith's husband said: "I went back to the scene after the accident and watched the junction, cars were shooting across it.

"I think someone cut across her and forced her to brake, from the scarring on her hand, that stopped the bike but my wife went straight over the handle bars and landed headfirst. I think the helmet saved her life. I think they either carried on driving because they didn't want to stop and left her or they didn't notice."

PC Claire Dye, neighbourhood beat manager for the area, said: "An ambulance was called after a cyclist was found on the floor unconscious.

"The female cyclist sustained serious injuries that she continues to recover from. She still has no recollection of the incident itself.

"Specialists from the serious collision investigation unit attended and examined the scene. They could find no markings of note on the road, such as tyre marks, and the damage to the frame of the bike was minimal.

"Essentially, we did not have enough information to prove that the cyclist was in a collision with another vehicle, and therefore how this person came off her bike remains a mystery.

"If anyone was in the area between 8pm and 8.40pm on Friday, June 21 and has any information that could help shed some light on this incident, then please email 101@dc.police.uk quoting enquiry number EN/009319/19."