OXFORD indie band Glass Animals has cancelled its upcoming tour dates after drummer Joe Seaward was 'hit by a truck' while cycling in Dublin.

Frontman Dave Bayley, in a post on the group's Facebook page, said the musician had suffered a broken leg and fractured skull in the crash, which happened earlier this month.

He added: “Miraculously, and thankfully, he is alive. After a couple of long operations he is now on the road to recovery.

“It’s going to be a long, difficult, and winding road, but knowing how determined Joe is, and seeing how much his body has recovered already in the past 10 days, I am so optimistic that he will make it back to his cheeky old self.”

He said the drummer has had a titanium pin inserted into his leg and brain surgery to deal with a 'collapsed skull', which has damaged his ability to speak.

The group, which shot to fame with their 2014 debut Zaba and were nominated for a Mercury Prize last year, have said they are cancelling their remaining shows for 2018.

Mr Bayley explained: “Joe’s injuries are highly unlikely to heal in time to make any of them.

“I wish more than anything that this accident hadn’t happened and that Joe was ok and that we would still be coming to hang with you all, but life has thrown something horribly sad and unexpected at us, and we need to do everything in our power to conquer it and get Joe back on his feet.

"I sincerely hope you understand. We will be back as soon as we can, and stronger than ever."

The group were set to play gigs in the US, Spain, France and Germany this summer.