A BUILTH Wells cycling business has appealed to teenagers to wear safety helmets after a crash left a young man “fighting for his life”.

Cycle-Tec, a bike shop in Builth Wells which helped BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James climb the highest mountains in Britain in aid of Sport Relief last year, has called on young cyclists to do more to stay safe on the roads.

“We’ve recently seen a significant increase in the number of youngsters riding around Builth Wells not wearing helmets,” the firm said in a post on Facebook.

“The trend seems to particularly affect teenage boys, lads we’re sure that you think it’s uncool to wear a lid but trust us we’ve seen more incidents where a helmet has saved a life than we care to remember, you’re also role models to children much younger so please use a little common sense.”

The message follows a recent incident in the area which Cycle-Tec said left a young man “fighting for his life” in intensive care. It said that the man was not wearing a helmet.

The firm added: “Please boys, girls and parents you’ve got one head - protect it!”

Wearing a helmet is not a legal requirement in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said it “strongly recommend” that cyclists wear a cycle helmet, as it reduces the risk of suffering a serious head or brain injury in an accident.

It added: “However, cycle helmets do not prevent crashes from happening in the first place, nor guarantee survival, but they do provide a last line of defence for the cyclist’s head.

“RoSPA does not support calls for compulsory cycle helmet laws because it is not clear whether such a law would discourage some people from cycling, which, if it did, would mean losing the health and environmental benefits from cycling.”