A cycling coach today claimed a hard-hitting Government safety campaign could put youngsters off cycling.

Mike Healey said the uncompromising campaign - which aims to get teenage boys to wear 'uncool' cycle helmets - was just too graphic.

The campaign contains a series of posters showing x-ray skulls in helmets warning children could end up in hospital or die cycling.

Mr Healey, who runs a young cyclist's Saturday morning club, at Richard Dunn Sports Centre at Odsal, said the Government should find better ways to make cycling safer.

He said he feared the campaign could even scare younger children from cycling completely and make some parents unwilling to let them ride bikes because the images suggest it could hospitalise and kill.

Figures from the Department of Transport show the use of cycle helmets has risen among every other section of the population in the past eight years but has fallen from 16 per cent to 12 per cent among teenage boys.

And they indicate boy cyclists are five times more likely than girls to have serious accidents but only half as likely to wear helmets.

Mr Healey said the advertising money would be better spent on improving children's training, increasing the number of cycle lanes and educating drivers.

He said: "Although there are valid arguments for children wearing cycling helmets - and I insist youngsters at my club wear them - they don't stop accidents from happening.

"The only major element of stopping accidents from happening is road awareness and training - learning how to avoid accidents. Cycle training for kids across the country is patchy. In some areas, like Leeds and Kirklees, it's very good; in Bradford it's good but relies on volunteers rather than professional coaches."

About the advert, he added: "I'm not happy with the style and the message of the campaign - it's misleading to suggest you won't have an accident if you wear a helmet. It's not wearing the helmet that prevents accidents, it's awareness and proper training - helmets are only rated at protecting the wearer at about 12 to 14-miles-per-hour without a car coming into the equation."

Three child safety charities plan to call on the Government to make helmets compulsory for under 16s but there are fears among cycling enthusiasts that it may put people off cycling at all.