THE family of a Canvey pensioner have thanked those who helped her after she was knocked over by a cyclist in an apparent hit and run.

Margaret Deacon, 74, was out walking along the sea wall near the Concorde Café and Beach Shop when a cyclist who was riding by knocked her over but didn’t stop to help.

Luckily, Ms Deacon was spotted by a few members of the public who came to her aid to ensure she wasn’t injured and help ensure she was taken somewhere safe.

She suffered bruising on her legs but thankfully did not received any serious injuries.

Ms Deacon’s brother, Mark Legge, 67, has issued a thankyou to the people who helped his sister.

He said: “Margaret was out walking last Tuesday when this cyclist hit her, but didn’t stop to check on her.

“I think it was between two to three people who saw her go down and rush to help her.

“She only had a few bruises thankfully, but she didn’t tell me about it until Friday last week.”

He added: “She has a few memory issues, but could remember what happened and that a group of people came to help her.

“I’d just really like to say thank you from all of our family to those who did help her.

“None of them will have known who she was but could see she was in trouble.”

The cyclist is understood to have left the scene quickly after the incident, which is believed to have happened around lunchtime on February 19.

None of the people who helped Ms Deacon, of Maurice Road, Canvey, managed to get a good view of the cyclist and the police were not called.

Mr Legge, who lives in Shoebury, added: “With these things it’s just a case of what can you do, the cyclist left the scene, and the people’s main attention was to Margaret, which is what anyone would do in that situation.

“We thought we’d just put something out there to let them know how grateful we are for their help. The cyclist’s actions were not good but some good people did the right thing.

“I’m very happy they did, and it just goes to show that a little act of kindness can truly go a very long way.”