A cyclist says she was 'praying not to be dragged under' when a driver overtook her on a road in Richmond.

Victoria Diboye-Suku, of Manor Road, was cycling down the Staines Road on her way to work when she says a van drove within ‘inches’ of her, at around 8.30am.

The highway code states that when overtaking 'motorists should give at least as much room to cyclists and horse riders as they would another car’ and 'should only do so when there is enough space to pass safely’.

Ms Diboye-Suku, a HR administrator, said: “I cycle daily 13-miles round trip to work and back via Richmond and Twickenham – it is a hazard for cyclists.

“I wasn’t out for longer than three minutes before the van passed me – I could see my reflection in his paintwork – it was scary.

“The only action you can take in that situation is hold tight, steady."

Ms Diboye-Suku posted a video of the incident on twitter and received numerous responses echoing that the 'stretch down the Twickenham road is horrible for peds and cyclists’ and often a ‘traumatic experience’.

She said: “The cycle infrastructure needs such an overhaul - I don't know why it's so bad when there are clearly so many cyclists that commute daily.”

Ms Diboye-Suku said she has reported the incident to the police.

The close-pass happened just before the launch of a new initiative in the capital, Space for Cyclists, to tackle drivers passing cyclist to closely and prevent accidents.