A British mountain biker has been killed by a stray bullet while riding in woodland in the French Alps.

A British man who died in France was reportedly shot by a hunter while mountain biking in the Alps.

Philippe Toccanier, prosecutor for the Thonon-Les-Bains region, told the Associated Press that the death on Saturday was believed to be an accident.

The 34-year-old cyclist has been named in reports as Marc Sutton, from Wales, who owned a restaurant in the nearby ski resort of Les Gets.

Toccanier said he certainly “couldn’t be confused with game, as he had a coloured helmet and a coloured mountain bike”.

He said the victim was cycling down a mountain in the Montriond area at around 6pm when he passed near a group of game hunters.

A 22-year-old man was taken to hospital for shock and is being investigated on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter, according to AP.

The Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with the local authorities about the death of a British man in France, and we are providing assistance to his family.”

A spokeswoman for the UK Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with the local authorities about the death of a British man in Franc, and we are providing assistance to his family.”