A cyclist who injured a grandmother while riding through Grimsby’s pedestrianised Victoria Street has been sentenced to 240 hours of unpaid work, after a court heard he had been trying to evade two wardens wearing “black military-style combat uniforms” who leapt out and attempted to grab him.

Elijah Daines, 22, of no fixed address, admitted causing bodily harm by wanton or furious riding following the incident on 31 May last year, which left 68-year-old Sue Godfrey with a serious injury to her right arm after she was struck and dragged by his handlebars.

The cyclist, who said he was only in the area for “a matter of moments” and “was not racing”, fled when approached by two enforcement officers from Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE) who saw him riding through the precinct, which is designated as a pedestrianised zone with cycling deemed “illegal” under the Public Spaces Protection Act (PSPO).

Daines sped off to evade capture, with one warden estimating his speed at around 10mph. As he looked around to check if he had escaped the officers in pursuit, he collided with Mrs Godfrey and an item of clothing was trapped on the handlebars. She was dragged along for a short distance until she broke free.

Grimsby Crown Court heard that Daines rode off after the collision despite an officer shouting that he had hit someone, leaving Godfrey in “horrendous pain” with a serious forearm wound that required urgent hospital treatment.

> “Rogue” wardens accused of “lying in wait” for cyclists riding on pavement beside busy roundabout, as two cyclists fined £100 for breaching anti-social cycling order at same spot

Mrs Godfrey said: “I remember walking down Victoria Street with Dave [her husband] when I saw a cyclist coming towards me. He was trying to get away from the marshals who had tried to stop him from cycling in the pedestrian area; he was shouting at them when he ran straight into me.”

“I managed to stop myself from falling over, but he didn’t stop to apologise, he just carried on like nothing had happened. It wasn’t until a few moments later though that I felt a pain in my arm. That was when I saw it.”

Grimsby town centre fined
Grimsby town centre fined (Image Credit: North East Lincolnshire Council)

After being helped by the officers, Mrs Godfrey was rushed to hospital where doctors stitched her arm internally and reattached skin. Although the injury eventually healed, she has been left with permanent nerve damage, scarring, a loss of confidence in visiting Grimsby town centre alone, as well as affecting her ability to garden, drive, and look after her grandchildren.

“I’ve never felt pain like it in all my life,” she told Grimsby Live. “It hurt for weeks and it didn’t matter what I took whether it was specialist oil or painkillers, it made no difference.”

“I will never go back into town on my own because of this. I only ever go with Dave and always walk along the wall, so I know this won’t happen again. The whole incident has scared me to death.”

> Hundreds more cyclists fined by “enforcement officers” under town’s controversial cycling ban, months on from rider ordered to pay £1,050

Mitigating, Tim Savage said Daines reacted out of fear when two men in black “military-style” uniforms leapt at him. “He did not know who they were. He was not racing. It was for a matter of moments,” Savage told the court, adding: “It is an area where people do ride. There are bikes around.”

The defence barrister said that his client was homeless at the time, had a difficult background, and that his age and lack of maturity played a significant role. Daines also added that he is remorseful for the injury caused.

“There is a determination to address his offending behaviour. At 22 years, he is not an idiot and is at a low risk of offending,” Savage said.

Grimsby PSPO enforcement officer stops cyclist
Grimsby PSPO enforcement officer stops cyclist (Image Credit: North East Lincolnshire Council)

Recorder Felicity Davies noted that although Daines may not have understood the full severity of the injury at the time, his decision to continue riding after the collision aggravated the harm caused, describing his actions as “a disregard for danger to others”.

Sentencing him to a 12-month community order with 240 hours of unpaid work, she said: “You were a danger to others by riding your bike on a pedestrian zone.

“She was a vulnerable road user. You were 21 years at the time. It is a significant feature that you have no previous convictions. You were homeless at the time and the bike was not yours. You borrowed it. You have communicated your remorse.”

Daines was also ordered to complete eight Rehabilitation Activity Requirement days and pay £90 towards the cost of Mrs Godfrey’s damaged clothing, although no compensation order was made due to his unemployed status.

PSPOs: doing more harm than good?

The case has once again brought into focus the infamous PSPOs, introduced three years ago which strictly prohibited anyone riding a bike in Grimsby town centre. The cycling ban has seen hundreds fined under enforcement operations, with council-contracted wardens stopping riders and issuing £100 fixed penalty notices (FPNs).

> Council officers accused of targeting “old and slow” cyclists after pensioner fined for riding through town

Between April and September last year, North East Lincolnshire Council issued 1,472 FPNs across various PSPO offences, with cycling bans accounting for a significant number.

In April alone, 50 cyclists were fined, with monthly totals reaching up to 152 by August. Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, Councillor Ron Shepherd, insisted the fines were “proof that what we’re doing is working” and credited the PSPO with creating a “safe and comfortable place” and a “rejuvenated” town centre.

Councillor Ron Shepherd Grimsby 'no cycling' PSPO
Councillor Ron Shepherd Grimsby 'no cycling' PSPO (Image Credit: North East Lincolnshire Council)

However, many have pointed that the PSPOs — intended to address anti-social behaviour — are increasingly being used to target ordinary cyclists, including older residents and commuters, such as the incident from October 2022, when a pensioner made headlines after telling the council to stick its £100 fine “up your arse”.

Active travel charity Cycling UK has long warned that PSPOs can “criminalise cycling” and deter active travel, while failing to address the root causes of poor pedestrian safety.

Concerns about overzealous enforcement are not confined to Grimsby. In Colchester, a major controversy erupted earlier last year after “rogue” wardens from the external agency WISE — the same agency operating in Grimsby — were accused of “running amok”, mistakenly fining cyclists £100 for riding on shared-use paths and roads where cycling was permitted.

In some cases, Colchester’s “cowboy” wardens reportedly threatened cyclists with £1,000 penalties if they challenged fines, “lay in wait” for riders, and told one elderly woman she could not ride because she did not pay “road tax”.

> “Why pick on a lone female cyclist?” Cyclist slapped with £100 fine – for riding on a cycle path

Following public outrage and a campaign led by the Colchester Cycling Campaign, the council halted cycling fines and shifted to an “education first” approach.

Will Bramhill from the campaign said: “The big problem, of course, is that we’ve had a failure of our transport policy since the 1940s… If you’re not a cyclist, if you don’t want cycling on footways, then support 20 miles an hour, support cycling infrastructure, because that’s the way ahead. It has to be.”

Elsewhere, Birmingham City Council’s proposed PSPO to restrict cycling in parts of the city centre was branded “clumsy and unworkable” by campaigners, while in Cardiff, Operation Castor has seen cyclists stopped and fined on Queen Street, sparking criticism that councils are focusing on riders while ignoring more dangerous behaviours such as pavement parking and reckless driving.