A new cycle lane at the centre of a series of accidents involving cyclists has been urgently repaired by council workers.

The stretch of cycle lane in Brighton’s Lewes Road, unveiled only last week as part of a £600,000 renovation of the Vogue Gyratory, was blamed for a series of accidents just days after it opened.

However, council chiefs insist “most cyclists” have not had problems.

Six cyclists contacted The Argus to say a hidden piece of kerb had caused them to come off their bikes on various days last week.

They included three cyclists who came off their bikes within five minutes of each other on Thursday morning – two of whom were admitted to hospital.

A fourth woman came off her bike in exactly the same spot later that afternoon and was taken to hospital suffering a broken hand.

Others told The Argus they had come off earlier in the week, suffering bruises, bumps and cuts.

Steve Sorrell, a senior lecturer at the University of Sussex, said: “I went flying, landing badly on my hip and wrist.

“I could hardly walk for the next three days and I still cannot lie on my side or put much weight on my wrist.

“My handlebars were bent up and had to be replaced. I was fortunate that I landed on the cycle path rather than the road, since there was heavy traffic behind. The damage to me and my bike could have been much worse.

“This was around 7pm and it was dark. It was next to impossible to see the kerb in that light. More importantly, you don’t expect to have a kerb in the middle of the road.”

Emma Newman, 21, from Southwick, came off her motorbike on Sunday afternoon after hitting a kerb bordering the cycle lane outside Sainsbury’s supermarket.

She said: “My bike is damaged and I’ve been signed off work for a week with my injuries. It was about 5.45pm and there was no way I could see it in that light.

“There needs to be some cats-eyes or something. I could have ended up under a car. It was horrible.”

Filling the gap A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said the authority could not comment on the accidents until it had received police reports.

However, over the weekend council contractors were quick to try to prevent any further accidents by filling the gap between the kerb and the road with tarmac.

The council said: “We have put in temporary measures and additional signage warning of the new layout.

“Cycle representatives were involved in the new design of the new junction, and we will involve them in any future review.

“Most cyclists using the new facilities have had no problems and the feedback we’ve had has been generally good. We will continue to monitor the the junction closely, as we do with all our new transport schemes.”