Sixty cyclists were fined for riding through pedestrianised areas of Oxford city centre yesterday.

The £30 fines were handed out to cyclists caught in Cornmarket Street and Queen Street between 12.30pm and 3.30pm.

Pc Steve Higa, who led the operation, said: “This latest operation was in the run-up to Christmas because I wanted to highlight this issue to the city’s cyclists at a time when there will be more people than usual in the centre.

“Cyclists continue to ride through the pedestrianised zone and we get a lot of comments when out on patrol from members of the public, particularly the elderly, who feel unsafe.

“During the operation we had a lot of positive remarks of support from members of the public from all age groups. We will continue to do further spot checks, quite possibly again before Christmas, until cyclists stop this illegal and hazardous behaviour.”