FURIOUS cyclists demanding to know why they have been banned from a towpath have been told: "You shouldn't have been using it in the first place."

They have been hopping mad since 'no cycling' signs began going up on the Thames Towpath between Caversham and Reading bridges last week - National Cycling Week - but have now been told that since a 2000 public inquiry it has been legally designated a footpath in the Public Rights of Way network with no permitted rights for cyclists.

Many have defied the ban for years, leading to ugly run-ins with walkers on the south side of the river. But Reading Borough Council, which concedes there has been little in the way of enforcement in the past, is spending £40,000 to pave the footpath and has installed the signs to appease landowners who feared the new smooth surfaces would encourage more cyclists and faster speeds.

Council spokesman Oscar Mortali urged cyclists to use the designated national cycle network route on the opposite bank, and added: "New chicanes aimed at slowing cyclists down will also be introduced and will also physically stop motorcyclists, who have been spotted using the towpath mainly at night."

Alan Thorpe, 43, from Caversham, who has cycled along the towpath to work every day for the past eight years without incident or complaint protested: "The council is prioritising paving over safety. The effect of this ban is to push cyclists towards the TGI roundabout, which is anything but cyclist-friendly, The north bank route does not work either, as it is considerably longer and does not link up."