One in three cyclists in Bristol are riding on the city's streets without lights, according to new research.

Figures from cycleguard.co.uk suggest that 31 per cent of cyclists in the city ride around with no lights.

The research also found that 60 per cent of Bristol's cyclists choose not to wear any reflective clothing, making it hard for them to be seen at night or in gloomy conditions.

Cycling is growing in popularity in the UK, thanks in part to the success of the Olympic cycling team this summer, a growing eco-friendly movement among British commuters and a need to save on transport costs.

One recent survey suggested that the number of commuters biking to work has increased by 3.3 million since the start of the credit crunch.

In June, Bristol was named as the recipient of £11.4 million of Government cash to turn it into the nation's first Cycling Demonstration City.

With retailers predicting a rise in bike sales this Christmas, Cycleguard is urging anyone hoping to get a new bike to add a set of lights to their wish list.

Last year, approximately 16,000 cyclists were injured on the roads and the real figure is likely to be much higher as 60 to 90 per cent of all cycling accidents go unreported.

James Pickering, managing director of Cycleguard, said: "No one in their right mind would drive a car without lights on it, so it baffles me how many people are prepared to put their lives on the line for the sake of a set of lights on their bike.

"Not only is it illegal to cycle without lights in hours of darkness, it's also the bare minimum any cyclist should do to keep safe and help identify themselves to other traffic."

The specialist insurance pro- vider also found that 45 per cent of cyclists in Bristol ignore safety warnings by failing to wear a helmet.

Steve Meek, spokesman for the Bristol Cycling Campaign, said: "Using lights at night and wearing reflective clothing is always a good idea. A lot of cyclists don't realise just how hard it can be for motorists to see them if they're not using lights and bright clothing.

"The evidence that wearing a helmet can help cyclists is actually entirely lacking – which isn't to say that they don't work – but there's very little to prove that they do.

"Some people believe that wearing a helmet can actually make an accident more likely or worse because of the loss of hearing and bigger head rotation that wearing a helmet results in.

"I wear one, personally, but it's very much up to cyclists to decide what they want to do."