THE percentage of Worcester people who regularly cycle has dropped to its lowest level this decade - with just 7.9 per cent getting on the saddle once a week.

Your Worcester News can reveal how that worryingly low figure has plunged almost by a third since 2010 and is significantly below the England average of 9.5 per cent.

Despite multi-millions being lavished on cycle lanes, storage racks at locations like railway stations and even the new Diglis bridge, the city figure compares to 11.1 per cent of residents who said they cycled once a week in 2010.

Across Worcestershire as a whole the figure is just 6.8 per cent, which has also fallen from the 8.4 per cent in 2010.

The findings have come in for debate at Worcestershire County Council, where the leadership is being urged to address it.

Worcester in particular has suffered congestion problems - with cars having to re-route around a stretch of Lowesmoor since January after vehicle pollution hit illegal levels.

Councillor Matthew Jenkins, from Worcester Green Party, has accused the Conservative leadership of showing a "lack of concern", calling the figures "very poor".

During a meeting he was laughed at by some opposition politicians, with Councillor Jenkins saying afterwards he was left "pretty disgusted" by the mocking.

But the Tory leadership insists it has a track record of investing in projects to increase cycling and has rubbished suggestions it should aspire to copy the likes of Cambridge, insisting the two are incomparable.

Since 2008, more than £27 million has been spent on Worcestershire projects which include better provision for cyclists.

Councillor Jenkins said: "There has been a significant decrease in the number of people cycling in the county, and this is from an already-low level compared to other places.

"My concern is whether the investment has been wisely spent, and I'd also like to know how we can improve these figures in the future.

"If you look at Cambridge, you can see how 50 per cent of residents cycle once a week, in Worcester we struggle to get 10 per cent.

"You can try Oxford, Bristol - Worcester has problems with congestion, problems with air pollution and cycling is a good way of getting people healthier.

"It should be a much higher priority but we don't seem to take it seriously anyway."

Councillor John Smith, the cabinet member for highways, said he was comparing "apples and pears".

"Does Cambridge really look a bit like Worcestershire?" he said.

"There might be 10, 12, 13 times more students, or 130,000 more students, I don't think you can compare Cambridge to Worcestershire.

"We will continue to do all we possibly can with the funds we have available to encourage participation not only in cycling but sport and walking."

The data has come from Sport England's 'Active People Survey', which involved 16,000 people for 2013/14 and is used to inform central Government and local authorities.

The weekly cycling rate across England as a whole has also fallen since 2010, but only by 0.1 per cent, to 9.5 per cent.