A special coating designed to make Edinburgh's tram lines less slippery is to be considered as cyclists continue to lodge injury claims for falls.

More than 100 cyclists have made claims in the past year by clients of lawyers Thompsons Solicitors.

They have suffered a range of horrendous injuries including lost finger tips, broken bones and missing teeth as a result of riding over the trams with many forced to take time off work.

The controversial trams project arrived three years late and hundreds of millions of pounds over budget when it opened in 2014.

Claims by cyclists have risen slightly to 110 from the 105 claims recorded last October.

And Edinburgh council's transport leader has now revealed the local authority was looking into the development of a new skid-resistant material to prevent accidents.

Councillor Lesley Hinds said: "We constantly monitor new developments so that our resources can be targeted to ensure best value.

"We understand there is work ongoing to develop skid-resistant materials specifically for tram tracks and we are interested to see how this progresses.

"Cycle safety is of utmost importance to the council and to this end we continue to make every effort to raise awareness of the impact of the tram on all road users.

"We will continue to demonstrate our commitment to cycling in Edinburgh, prioritising cycle safety, alongside any development in the city."

Jayne Crawford, a partner with Thompsons, has demanded the Scottish capital make tram lines safe for cyclists and called for "no half measures" in doing so.

And she warned that the many visitors who come to Edinburgh for the festival season could be in danger if the council do not act quickly.

She said: "As each month passes, concern grows within Edinburgh's cycling community that accidents on the tram lines still continue to happen.

"We're about to enter the festival season when we welcome tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.

"Many of them will choose to cycle round our beautiful city. I fear it's inevitable that some will be injured on the tram lines in similar circumstances to permanent residents.

"The people who run our city know we all benefit greatly from these visitors and they have a duty of care to protect them as well as permanent residents.

"Other cities in the UK have managed to make their trams lines safe for cyclists so it's about time Edinburgh City Council did the same by taking quick and decisive action.

"Quick fixes and half measures simply will not do."

Among the cyclists pursuing an injury claim is Mary Ranson, a 21-year-old geography student who fell off her bike on Princes Street on March 25.

She has fallen out of love with cycling since her wheel got caught in the tram tracks and suffered a long-term injury to her right leg.

She said: "I went to turn right and my front wheel got caught in the tram track and I fell off.

"When I looked up there was a tram there. It had stopped about not far from my head.

"I ended up in Accident and Emergency and I have long-lasting damage to my right leg and it is never going to be as strong as it was.

"I'm pretty terrified of the trams now. I don't enjoy cycling any more and I avoid cycling on Princes Street."

Another cyclist, who did not wish to be named, added: "If you don't hit the tracks at exactly 90 degrees, it is such a polished, smooth surface your tyres come away from you and there is a very good chance you are going to come off."

Ian Maxwell, spokesman for cycling campaign group Spokes, said the solution lay in the road layout.

He said: "If you look at Haymarket they have painted direction lines on the road to lead cyclists into crossing the tracks at a far safer angle."