Campaigners say that a Mobike-style project will not work in Newcastle until more action is taken to make the city's roads safer for cyclists.

The cycle hire firm confirmed on Tuesday that it is pulling all of its bikes out of Newcastle and Gateshead from the beginning of May, focusing its business on London, Oxford, and Cambridge instead.

The news came after months of speculation over Mobike's future in the North East, after some bikes were vandalised and even found dumped in the River Tyne.

But Newcastle Cycling Campaign leaders say that efforts to get more people cycling in the city through bike-sharing schemes are doomed to fail unless there are big changes to boost cycle routes.

Sally Watson, of the Newcastle Cycling Campaign, said: "This is a real shame, but it is not terribly surprising. Until the council puts in more infrastructure for people to use bikes, then it is not really going to work.

"If there is nowhere safe to ride them, then people won't use them.

A mobike

"There is a balance between the uptake of the bikes and how many are damaged, and don't suppose there has been enough uptake for Mobike.

"In Oxford and Cambridge, they don't have a big Central Motorway - you can get from one side of the city to the other quite safely, not like here.

"I cycle quite a lot and I think it is often terrifying, so why would anyone else do it?"

Just last week, Newcastle City Council revealed that it is in talks with two firms about bringing an electric bike project to the city.

Mobike said it would consider making a return to Tyneside in future, but is pulling out from the beginning of May to "increase the sustainability of our UK business".

An initial 450 bikes were introduced in Newcastle in 2017, before an additional 500 were added the following February and a further 200 when the scheme was extended to Gateshead last June.

A spokesperson for Newcastle City Council said: "Mobike has notified us that they will be leaving Newcastle as the company looks to strengthen its UK operations in London and the south.

"The bike hire scheme was aimed at enabling more people to cycle in the city and to change the way they travel by providing an alternative option for shorter journeys.

"We've gained a good deal of information from having the scheme operating here and this will help us as we develop further city centre cycling initiatives.

"We remain committed to increasing opportunities for people to travel by bike and we are currently talking to other providers about a possible electric bike hire scheme for Newcastle.

"We're also continuing to invest in our cycling networks and cycle parking facilities."

A Gateshead Council spokesman added: "We are sad to see the end of the scheme in Gateshead and look forward to investigating future opportunities for bike sharing to return to the area."