CYCLING could be completely banned along the seafront in Bournemouth and Poole due to concerns that they are endangering other users.

BCP Council has warned that unless existing restrictions and social distancing guidance are followed, a temporary ban could be introduced.

Its leader, councillor Vikki Slade, said cyclists were being given “one more weekend” to “behave fairly and responsibly” when using the promenade otherwise they will no longer be able to use it.

Since the coronavirus outbreak took hold and measures to tackle it were introduced, the number of people cycling along the seafront has increased.

But a number of collisions have been reported and concerns have been raised about the high speeds cyclists are travelling at and that some are not respecting other users of the promenade.

The issue was raised by Cllr Slade during her weekly Facebook question and answer session on Wednesday.

She warned that unless things improve over the coming days, a temporary ban could be introduced.

“We are asking that the Prom is used sensibly,” she said. “There have been issues with cyclists going too fast and their being too many of them.

“I’m hopeful that now people can move a bit further that that might change.

“We want to give it one more weekend to see if people can behave fairly and responsibly and I have asked police to carry out a few more patrols in spots where people have been cycling in groups and cycling too fast.

“It’s frightening for people if you are cycling along at high speed and there have been accidents. I don’t want to have to take cyclists off the Prom.”

She also urged beach hut owners not to block sections of the route in order to allow people using the route to more easily comply with social distancing guidance.

Councillor Lewis Allison, cabinet member for communities, said a temporary ban was one of “a range of options” being considered.

“We want to ensure that local people have the opportunity to use the promenade for both cycling and for walking and running.

“We would ask local residents to act in a responsible manner that allows social distancing though we are aware that shared use can make social distancing challenging.”

He said the council would be “monitoring the situation closely” and would “act” if it believes it has become “unsafe”.