With thousands of Brits signing up to bike hire schemes and more rail strikes planned before the end of the year, cycling to work is becoming increasingly popular, with 42% of cyclists now using their bike to commute.

3.6 million bikes were sold in the UK last year, with experts predicting that by 2015 that figure will rise to just over 4 million. However, with people buying new bikes to keep up with advances in technology and the latest trends, it appears that millions of old bicycles are being thrown away, or left to rust. Worst still, the cost of council collections for large refuse items are likely to increase, whilst fly-tipping can incur fines of up to £5,000 and cost local authorities a collective £45.8m a year.

Unwanted bikes have little use in the UK but make a huge difference to the lives of local African communities, where people are otherwise forced to walk for hours a day to fetch water and other supplies. Thousands of discarded bikes have been donated to the charity Re-Cycle so far, but many more are needed.