A van driver who punched a cyclist in the face and damaged his bike after becoming incensed because the man and his wife weren’t riding their bikes in the nearby cycle lane has been sentenced to unpaid work.

The incident took place at Bridlington, Yorkshire, at 9:05am on 29 June, when the 57-year-old cyclist and his wife were riding along Kingsgate. Adrian Burrows, 40, of Chapel Garth, Skipsea, was driving the van when he confronted the pair for not using a nearby cycle path, shouting: “There’s a f***ing bike path over there.”

When the cyclist asked, “What is it to do with you, mate?”, Burrows responded with, “F*** off, you southern c***”, then pulled his van in front of the couple and slammed on the brakes. The cyclist had to swerve into the road to avoid a collision with the van.

Jennifer Gatland, prosecuting, said that Burrows opened the door and jumped out of the van, and proceeded to punch the cyclist on the left side of his face.

The cyclist managed to stay upright and clipped into his pedal, but Burrows then picked up the man’s bike and threw it to the ground, scratching the frame and snapping the gear mechanism. The handlebars were also damaged.

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The cyclist suffered swelling, bruising to his knee and legs, and sore ribs. He also endured a three-centimetre laceration to his ear, which had to be glued together at the Bridlington urgent treatment centre, Hull Live reports.

His wife, who witnessed the incident, shouted at Burrows and asked: “What’s wrong with you? Are you on drugs?”

The cyclist briefly took the van keys, told his wife to call the police and said that he was going straight to the police. However, he returned them out of fear that Burrows might assault him again.

He told the court: “During the last 10 months, I have felt anxious and nervous every time I go out on the bike. I am always on edge every time a vehicle passes me.

“I never thought being a southerner was so much of a problem with some people. I struggle to comprehend the level of hatred for cyclists.”

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Hull Crown Court heard that Burrows, a self-employed bathroom fitter and father of two, had no previous convictions for violence, however, he did have a previous conviction for possessing cannabis in 2012.

His solicitor, Oliver Shipley, said Burrows had had an ordinary day, and was using his work van when the situation became “emotionally charged” over a disagreement with the cyclist over the laws of the road for cyclists and the positions on the road used by them.

“What can’t be justified or minimised is his behaviour following discussions with the cyclist about what happened,” Mr Shipley said. “He makes no effort to minimise or excuse his behaviour. He knows that, to defuse that situation, there are other means available to him other than an act that was well in excess of self-defence.”

“It was committed in the course of the working day. This was short-lived. The defendant accepts that this would have been particularly unpleasant for the complainant and his partner, having set out on their bikes not expecting the day to include this type of event. He has learned his lesson.”

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Recorder Ayesha Smart told Burrows: “This can only be described as an incident of road rage where you became perturbed by the cyclist and his wife.

“What you should have done is stay in your van and go home rather than get out and engage in violence. His bike was damaged by virtue of you throwing that into the road.”

Burrows admitted to assaulting the cyclist, occasioning actual bodily harm and causing criminal damage. He was sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £133 as compensation to cover the repairs to fix the bicycle.