Lastminute founder 'recovering'

Martha Lane Fox needed surgery after accident in Morocco

Lastminute.com founder Martha Lane Fox is recovering in hospital in Morocco after being seriously injured in a car crash while on holiday with friends.

The 30-year-old was operated on following the accident in the seaside tourist town of Essaouira.

A Lastminute.com spokesman confirmed: "She received some surgery and she is in recovery."

Of her condition, he added: "It is a family thing and they don't want to go into much detail."

The spokesman said he did not know how long Miss Lane Fox would remain in hospital or when she would return home.

Her parents Louisa and Robin are believed to have flown to Marrakesh to be with their daughter while she recuperates.

Multiple fractures

Few details about the crash have emerged, but it was reported that Miss Lane Fox suffered suspected haemorrhaging.

It has also been reported that she sustained multiple fractures to her pelvis, neck and shoulders.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed Miss Lane Fox was still in hospital but refused to give any more details about the accident.

Miss Lane Fox co-founded Lastminute.com with Brent Hoberman in 1998.

Their entrepreneurial vision epitomised the dotcom boom of the late 1990s.

Lastminute.com rapidly became a success with its offers of cheap holiday flights and floated on the stock market in 2000.

The online retailer now operates in 13 countries with 8m registered users. It continues to sell bargain air tickets and city breaks but also "last minute" lifestyle accessories.

Miss Lane Fox quit as managing director last year but her stake in the company is valued at around £23m.