Woman fighting Lyme Disease after being bitten by tick

A woman is desperately fighting a bacterial infection after being bitten by a tick while walking her dog in a park.

Heidi Luckraft, from Nottinghamshire has been diagnosed with Lyme Disease, which can cause neurological damage and severe pain in the muscles and joints.

Warning: This video may contain images viewers may find distressing.

Now friends and family are trying to raise sixty thousand pounds to send Heidi for specialist treatment in America.

Lyme Disease is a bacterial infection spread by Ticks which feed on the blood of birds and mammals.

As the symptoms often resemble other conditions, it took three years before she was diagnosed, but there is no cure for the condition.

Early symptoms include a circular rash around the area of the tick bite.

Later symptoms include pain and swelling in the joints. Heart problems and severe headaches caused by inflammation of the membrane in the brain and spinal cord.

It's estimated there are two to three thousand confirmed cases of Lyme Disease in England and Wales every year. The Ticks that carry it are usually found in woodland and heath areas.