Police warn Hull cyclists to be vigilant after string of assaults at weekend

Police in Hull have warned the city's cyclists to be alert following three attacks over the weekend in which riders were assaulted by car passengers. All three attacks involved Vauxhall Astra cars, and in at least two of them, information released by Humberside Police suggests the same vehicle was involved.

Those incidents both took place on Southcoates Lane, one at 7am on Saturday morning, the other at 8.20am on Sunday morning. In both those cases, a male cyclist was grabbed by the passenger of a dark-coloured vehicle, believed to be an old-style Vauxhall Astra, reports This is Hull and East Riding.

The third incident took place at 5.15am on Sunday morning when a woman riding to work on Staveley Road, also located in the east of the city, was pushed off her bicycle by a passenger, also in a Vauxhall Astra.Police are trying to trace a woman dog-walker in the area at the time as well as the driver of a 4x4 who stopped to help the cyclist.

None of the cyclists were seriously injured in any of the three incidents, although police have highlighted that they could each have had much more serious consequences and are increasing traffic patrols in the area in response.

Police have said they are trying to trace two men said to have local accents in connection with the assaults and anyone with information is requested to call 101 quoting log numbers 195 of 10 November 2012 and log numbers 185 and 209 of 11 November 2012.

Still in Hull, a city with particularly high levels of utility cycling dating back to its industrial heyday, last Tuesday evening a cyclist had his nose broken after being assaulted by one of three pedestrians he encountered when riding along a shared use path leading onto Wilmington Bridge, reports the the same news website.

The incidents come at a time when we are noticing more stories about unprovoked assaults on cyclists.

Last week, we reported on an incident in Manchester in which a cyclist was knocked unconscious by an object thrown from a car, while a woman in Essex riding with her husband and son was hit by a bottle thrown by a passenger in a vehicle.

In August, a South Yorkshire cyclist suffered multiple injuries when he was pushed off his bike by occupants of a Vauxhall Corsa while taking part in a club run. Dave Scargill, aged 58, spent two weeks in hospital as a result of injuries including a broken collarbone.