More than £700,000 has been spent on constructing a one-mile stretch of cycle freeway.

The £250-a-metre cost of creating the lane along Hove's Grand Avenue and The Drive has been condemned by one councillor as "an extravagant waste of money".

Residents have also complained the route is dangerous, unnecessary and unsightly.

The cost has been revealed following a freedom of information request to the council by Councillor Paul Elgood.

He said: "We are delighted so much investment is being made in cycling - it is vital to develop safe cycle routes and encourage people out of their cars.

"However, the cycle freeway in Grand Avenue and The Drive is an extravagant waste of money.

The construction and route has attracted huge disruption, with delays caused by the work and the loss of driving lanes.

"The new layout is dangerous in parts, with parking bays stuck out into the middle of the road.

"It has also formalised parking bays, reducing the number of cars able to park."

"The new freeway and traffic islands are entirely tarmac but the opportunity should have been taken to plant more trees and greenery along the route.

"This may be part of a national scheme and cycling is certainly a good cause but it is still public money they are using.

"There must be better ways of encouraging cycling than spending massive sums of money for large road building projects and relaying yet more environmentally unsustainable tarmac."

Brighton and Hove is a cycling demonstration town, attracting £3 million of external funding over three years.

The Liberal Democrats say better use of the money could have been made to benefit cyclists by reopening the cycle access at the Clock Tower, dealing with dangerous junctions in the city centre, offering free safety gear, or spending the cash on 10,000 new bikes for school children. Work on the segregated cycle lane began earlier this year as part of the Hangleton to Hove cycle freeway.

Consultation at the time of the decision to build the route found that 76% of the 204 people interviewed were in favour of the scheme. But in a series of letters to The Argus since the work began, neighbours, drivers and cyclists have complained the new lane increases congestion and makes cycling more dangerous.

What do you think of the cycle lane and the £700,000 cost? Comment below.