Boris Bikes, Whitechapel.

Boris bikes will be available across the whole of Tower Hamlets from March, City Hall has announced.

At the moment the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme is only available as far east as Whitechapel in the borough.

But from March 8, 2,300 more bikes and 4,800 extra docking points are being installed across the capital ahead of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic games.

The scheme will also be rolled out to north Shoreditch, Camden Town, Canary Wharf and Westfield White City.

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “These bikes have changed the face of the city, eased the lives of many commuters and proved a huge attraction for the visitors we need in tough times to bring jobs and growth to our economy. The expansions east and west will extend the benefits across our city and I’m confident that our investment in this wonderful piece of transport infrastructure will be a huge success.”

Membership of the scheme costs £1 for a 24-hours, £5 for seven days and £45 for the year. The first 30 minutes of every journey is free but users have to pay £3 for a membership key to use the bikes.