A teacher has lost his appeal against his conviction for cycling the wrong way down a Norwich slip road into an oncoming car after a judge said he had taken a 'dangerous short cut.'

Neil Barwick, 48, of Portersfield Road, was convicted at Norwich magistrates of cycling without due care and attention after he cycled against the traffic flow down a slip road leading from Bluebell Road onto the A11/Newmarket Road while on his way to work at Cringleford Primary School, at around 7.40am on January 7, this year.

Barwick hit a green Nissan Almera being driven by Josine van den Berg and went over the top of it, suffering a number of injuries including back and neck injuries. Miss van den Berg said that he had hit her straight on and his head had come through her windscreen.

Barwick, who told the court he teaches cycling proficiency at his primary school, claimed he regularly cycled the route and was crossing the slip road from one side to the other, on his way to work when he had been hit.

Barwick was fined £270 and ordered to pay £200 court costs by magistrates, in August this year.

He appealed against his conviction at Norwich Crown Court, however his case was dismissed by Judge Anthony Bate, who heard his appeal along with two magistrates. Judge Bate accepted that Barwick had 'limited recollection' of the incident itself because of his injuries but told him: 'We are quite sure that magistrates came to the right conclusion in this case that on this occasion the appellant(Barwick) took a dangerous short cut.'

He said the injuries Barwick received and the damage to the car and his bike were consistent with the evidence of Miss van de Berg that he was coming straight at her when the collision occurred.

He said that it was fortunate he was wearing a cycle helmet at the time as otherwise his injuries would have been 'very grievous.'

Barwick was also ordered to pay £650 costs of the appeal.