ANTI social cyclists have felt the force of the law after residents appealed to police to crack down on the issue.

More than 100 cyclists were hit with a Traffic Offence Report, which results in a later fine or prosecution, over a period of three days on London Road in Westcliff, as well as the High Street and seafront in Southend, while 35 completed a retraining course rather than face prosecution.

Officers beefed up their patrols, including during the evening, to target cyclists riding anti-socially on footpaths, pavements and those failing to use lamps, as required by law, darkness.

One cyclist travelling without headlamps was also arrested after officers discovered he was wanted for theft.

The crackdown, codenamed Operation Bluenose, followed a public meeting held by Essex police and crime commissioner Nick Alston at Chase High School in which a number of residents expressed their concerns about antisocial cyclists.

Mr Alston said: "The success of Operation Bluenose is two-fold.

"Firstly it demonstrates that the concerns raised by residents at my public meetings really are listened to and acted upon.

"I have always strived to give the public of Essex a real voice in policing, and here it is in action.

"Furthermore, the police action has also demonstrated to not only those cyclists caught flouting the law, but also the wider riding community, that they too have a responsibility to other road users to ensure they ride safely and considerately at all times.

"This action was not taken to punish cyclists, but rather to educate them around their own safety.

"I hope they and other road users will continue to work with Essex Police to improve the safety of our county’s roads.”

Adam Pipe, Essex Police’s Casualty Reduction Manager, added: "In order to continue to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury collisions on our roads, all road users must play their part.

"As well as providing enforcement action, Operation Bluenose also, crucially, provided cyclists with an opportunity to attend an educational course to improve their safety and road awareness.”

Operation Bluenose was carried out over three days in March following the public meeting in January.