A CYCLIST who needed emergency surgery after a crash on Poole’s Twin Sails Bridge says the “razor sharp” barrier he hit is “not fit for purpose.”

Former motorway engineer Andrew Gay, who is visiting Poole on a sailing trip with his wife, said his arm was “ripped apart” in the accident.

The 72-year-old told the Daily Echo: “It is a miracle I didn’t suffer any tendon or nerve damage - that barrier may look lovely, but it shouldn’t be there.

“At the moment it is like a whole load of razor blades standing upright. It is a jagged, wavy barrier that does not belong there.”

Mr Gay, who lives in the Thames Valley, spent two hours in surgery at Poole Hospital and needed 40 stitches to the wound on his right arm.

Recalling the accident, which unfolded around 9.15am on July 6, he said: “I just wanted to go to the gym, so I cycled from Cobbs Quay and when I crossed over the Twin Sails Bridge they had two cones in the cycle lane.

“So I pulled out into the carriageway and when I pulled back into the cycle lane after the cones, my back wheel hit one of the cat’s eyes and this small ridge between the cycle lane and the main carriageway.

“My back wheel hit that ridge, kicked out and I shot straight out into the bridge barrier.

“When I hit the bottom of the barrier it catapulted me and the bike right over the top into it and ripped my arm apart.”

Mr Gay, who was helped at the scene by a passing cyclist and a maintenance worker, was able to call paramedics for help.

“I unclipped myself from the bike, looked at my arm and nearly fainted,” he said. “My treatment from the council since then has been absolutely first class, the people at the hospital have also been fantastic, so has everyone at the marina.

“I love the Twin Sails Bridge, it is a beautiful bridge - all I want to do is protect anyone else from hitting that barrier. What if a kid is roller-skating, or maybe riding a scooter, and hits that barrier.

“They could be ripped apart because the edges are razor sharp. It is not fit for purpose.

“A motorcyclist hitting this barrier would be in serious trouble. I cannot believe it is in place.”

Borough of Poole engineering manager John Rice said: “We are aware of this incident and are currently looking into the matter.”