A council said the growing prevalence of cycling in Norwich makes the loss of Ofo 'disappointing'.

Norwich City Council says cycling has grown by around 40% over the city in the past five years – with areas which have received grants from the Department for Transport to support cycling seeing growth of up to 65%.

The city was a 'great fit' for a bike-sharing scheme such as Ofo, which has backed out of Norwich and Sheffield as part of plans to focus on 'other key UK markets'.

READ MORE: All you need to know about OfoMike Stonard, Norwich City Council cabinet member with responsibility for transport, said: 'You only have to look around to see how popular cycling has become in Norwich. The presence of a pay-as-you-go hire scheme is a great fit here, both in terms of demand and the success of improved facilities we've delivered through Transport for Norwich, working with the county council.

'We're obviously disappointed that Ofo has decided to pull out but we remain committed to our support for cycling that's lead to a significant citywide increase in those choosing to travel by bike.'

Counters collecting cycle data in Norwich placed on the inner and outer ring roads revealed a 42.3% increase in cycling in 34 locations between 2013 and 2016.