One in six London hire bikes not yet available

Councils have refused to grant permission for 76 docking stations, meaning that Transport for London can only put 5,000 of the 6,000 hire bikes on the street

The shortage of docking stations — there are 335 at present, 65 short of the 400 that should have been in place for the £140 million scheme's launch on July 30 — has left 1,000 bikes, each costing around £350, stranded in TfL contactor Serco's depot in Islington.

Camden council's planning committee turned down an application for a 30-bike docking station in Torrington Place, Bloomsbury, after 30 residents turned up to complain.