Consultation will consider whether helmets and high-visibility vests should be mandatory

Cyclists could be made to wear helmets for the first time in a review of bike safety.

A government consultation in the new year will consider whether helmets and high-visibility vests should be mandatory on British roads, the transport minister Jesse Norman said.

The move comes after the release of figures showing that more than 100 cyclists were killed on British roads last year. A further 3,397 were seriously injured, a 5 per cent increase in 12 months.

Any attempt to make helmets compulsory will be resisted by many cycling groups who claim that it would deter people from taking to the road. In Australia, where cyclists can be fined up to £180 for not wearing a helmet, there has been a drop in cycling.