London's Fire Brigade has rushed to distance itself from comments made by a Merton firefighter about cyclists.

Responding to an inquiry about an incident involving a cyclist and a car on Friday evening a gave details to The Wimbledon Guardian.

The cyclist had sustained serious injuries after colliding with a car in Sainsbury's car park in Colliers Wood.

The fire fighter went on to give a warning to cyclists about the perils of the road.

He said: “There is a big problem with cyclists at the moment generally.

“There are so many more cyclists on the roads that we have had a number of incidents ourselves with fire engines and recent months.

“What they do is tuck themselves between the 150mm gap of the curb and lorry and really get themselves into places they just should not be.

“They are not respecting the road are getting themselves into dangerous positions.

“If there is a small gap just stay back.”

The comment sparked outrage among readers who responded with a series of angry comments to the article.

One reader, username SAHSAH, wrote: “Disgusting comments from LFB. The cyclist here is the victim, yet LFB use this as a platform to criticise cyclists.

“I can't see any suggestion that the cyclist was in any way to blame for this incident.

“Much better to use this to advise drivers of their responsibilities towards vulnerable road users, and address the problems of poor cycling infrastructure putting cyclists in danger.

“Whoever made this statement should be reprimanded.”

Merton's Borough Commander, Rick Ogden, said: “The comment published in the Wimbledon Guardian was from an individual and does not represent the views of the London Fire Brigade.

“We take our responsibilities to all road users very seriously and firefighters work closely with partner agencies to promote safety on London’s roads.

“Our thoughts are with the people involved in this incident.”

 

TODAY'S TOP MERTON STORIES