RANGERS at a country park say they are investigating after reports wire had been strung across a cycle path circulated on social media.

A cyclist is said to have come off his bike at Moors Valley Country Park last week because a trail had been "sabotaged".

The biker, who was with his family, fell onto a rock, splitting his cycle helmet inside and out.

Pete Moore of Ringwood's Café Velo posted a warning on Facebook for other cyclists. It has since been shared widely.

The warning reads: "Someone has been sabotaging the trails by putting wires across them and laying large sticks and logs on the ground."

Katie Davies, a ranger at Moors Valley, said the incident is believed to have taken place on Forestry Commission land at the park.

"We have had an unconfirmed report of an incident, via social media, of an obstruction on our bike trails which caused injury to a rider," she said.

"We're trying to establish the facts so we can investigate fully, but to date no report has been made to us directly.

"We would like to reassure visitors that our trails are checked daily by rangers and we take such reports seriously."

Mr Moore said: "One of my customers came in and said he'd been in an accident at Moors Valley because logs and other obstructions had been placed over the cycling paths.

"He crashed his bike and smashed his head on a rock. Luckily, he was wearing a cycling helmet at the time, but it could have been a really nasty one.

"I thought I'd put something online about it because I wanted cyclists to be vigilant for this type of thing happening.

"I'm a big believer in cyclists always wearing their helmets - they save lives."

Rangers at the park have called on anyone who spots "something untoward" while using the trails to report it directly to the visitor centre, or by calling 0300 067 6400 out of hours.

Ms Davies urged members of the public to "note the location and take a photograph if possible".

"With more than 30 miles of trails, establishing an exact location as quickly as possible is really helpful," she said.

"Any criminal activity will be reported to the police."