Bicycle firm Brompton has been forced to recall nearly 150,000 bikes due to fears over faulty parts.

The London firm announced that 144,000 bikes made between April 2014 and May 2017 were affected, in a statement on their website.

They said the axle, the piece which connects the pedals, in the German-made bottom bracket had failed on approximately one in 5,000 bikes.

These failures meant some riders were suddenly unable to pedal and in one case a cyclist had been injured, it added.

Owners of bikes which have a FAG Bottom Bracket cartridge BB66 installed have been asked to take it to their nearest Brompton store where it will be replaced free of charge.

In a video statement on the company’s website, CEO Will Butler-Adams apologised but said it was important to “protect customers”.

He said: “We've had an increased number of failures - not particularly high - but sufficient enough to cause concern.

“This is a hassle, a pain and we are really sorry about that and potentially we're going overboard but it is critical to us to protect the experience of our customers.”

The company, which was founded by inventor Andrew Ritchie in 1976, has been hailed as an example of modern British manufacturing as the firm builds its bikes exclusively in the UK despite being sold all over the world.

It has even earned a place in British popular culture with the bikes being a running joke in the BBC satire W1A.

But the recall comes at a crucial time for the company after it prepares to increase production and launch a new electric model.

The firm's underlying profits fell 40 per cent to £1.3m last year due to it sinking money into investments.

The company has pledged to produce 100,000 bikes per year by 2020 – up from 36,000 per year in 2011.