DUNFERMLINE Cycling Club have hit out at those responsible for stringing up a potentially lethal wire between two trees in a West Fife woodland.

The club says a cyclist could have been seriously injured or killed had the discovery in Braefoot Woods, near Dalgety Bay, not been made.

"It goes without saying we utterly condemn the reckless actions of those individuals," Scott Hutchinson, chair of Dunfermline Cycling Club, told the Press.

"There have been other incidents of paths being deliberately blocked with large branches with the intention of trying to unseat riders from their bikes.

"The trails are well used by cyclists from across Fife who have every right to access them and the vast majority do so responsibly, sharing the space with no issues alongside other members of the public.

"These mindless acts have the potential to cause serious injury or worse, with those responsible clearly showing no regard for the safety of those who use the woods."

A dog-walker found the wire last Saturday afternoon, June 1, and removed it swiftly before reporting it to the police.

The woods is a popular route for off-road cycling and it is believed that the wire was set at a height which would have caught a child or a smaller rider.

Scott added: "It beggars belief that someone thinks this is reasonable behaviour and I sincerely hope they are caught by the local police."

Officers are now investigating the incident and their inquires remain ongoing.