Cyclists have fought back against "dangerous drivers in killing machines" who claim riders should be banned from Richmond Park.

Last week, the Richmond and Twickenham Times reported a 42-year-old cyclist was fined £150 after admitting travelling at 41mph in Sawyers Hill in January, sparking huge debate.

Drivers claimed cyclists should be "banned or segregated" while using the park, but riders have blasted the idea as "truly shameful and appalling".

Tim Lennon, from Richmond Cycling Campaign, said removing "rat-running" cars from the park would make more sense and more difference than banning cyclists, and said drivers were responsible for virtually every reported incident, including animal deaths.

Mr Lennon added: "Certainly, some cyclists speed in the park, and some behave inappropriately on the roads. However, removing cycling from the park, as well as being virtually impossible legally, would be a truly shameful and appalling response to incidents like this.

"Richmond and its park will become a better place through more cycling, not less. The correct response to incidents like this is policing and education, not ill-informed, impractical proposals that would spoil the enjoyment of the park for thousands, and turn it into a beautiful rat-run for traffic seeking to avoid Ham and the surrounding area."

Another cyclist from Hampton added they are "continually endangered and threatened" by "dangerous drivers in killing machines" and society should change its priorities to think about the safety of cyclists.

At a meeting last year, Sergeant Michael Boulton, head of policing in the park, said between April and December 2014, 126 motorists were fined or taken to court for speeding in the park, while just 30 cyclists had received written warnings about their speed.

While cycling is on the rise in the borough, the Friends of Richmond Park (Forp) said the growth in its popularity had brought with it "increasing friction" between cyclists and drivers in the park.

Ron Crompton, chairman of Forp, said: "For the last five years, I have been involved, through the friends and on the Richmond Park police panel, in trying to find a solution to these conflicts. There isn’t one or at least we have not found it.

"The ultimate solution is just more consideration for other users, and especially for the vulnerable. At one time, I thought that as cars and cyclists got accustomed to each other, they would be more tolerant. That hasn’t happened. Let’s have another go, please."

Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond Park and north Kingston, said the park belonged to all groups and a way to share the limited space more harmoniously needed to be found.

He said: "I am doing my best to find a way to make that happen following a very well-attended public meeting and the establishment of a working group.

"But for my part, I would strongly and absolutely oppose any move to ban cyclists. That’s clearly not the answer."