Fewer people were cycling in the Braintree district last year than before the pandemic, new figures show.

Sport England's Active Lives Survey is used to assess how much exercise people are getting across the country.

Figures from the survey, compiled by the Department for Transport, show 10.7 per cent of people in the district were cycling at least once a month in the year to November 2022.

That was a fall from 13.2 per cent in 2019.

Across England, 13.1 per cent of people said they biked once a month - down from 16.1 per cent in 2019.

Cycling UK – which campaigns for better access to cycling across the country – called the figures disheartening, especially given a spike at the height of the pandemic when fewer cars were on the road.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "Overall, the numbers of people choosing to walk or cycle increasing over the past year has returned to pre-pandemic levels, and we are well on the way to half of all short journeys in towns and cities being walked or cycled by 2030.

"This has been supported by our investment of over £3billion into walking and cycling to 2025."