Nearly 1,000 cyclists have been slapped with fines for dodging red lights in just nine months in a crackdown by City of London Police.

They’ve been caught by a special squad formed to catch anti-social riders putting pedestrians and other road users in danger, with 944 fixed penalty notices issued to date.

The crackdown included a cycle roadshow outside the Bank of England on Thursday (April 18) with a film of street traffic from a lorry cab viewpoint showing cyclists causing hazards.

“We need to encourage cyclists to respect pedestrians and others,” City Police Authority’s chair James Thomson said. “Most cyclists behave responsibly — but police will enforce where necessary and seize illegal e-bikes and scoters.”

City Police have seized 192 illegal e-bikes and scooters since July.

The move is backed by the courts, police said, following a case on April 3 where a cyclist challenged his fixed penalty.

The cyclist was spotted going through red lights and refusing to stop for police. He was riding an unregistered e-bike with a throttle and a motor greater than 250 watts, it was discovered.

The man was fined £1,050 for no insurance, contravening a red light and failing to stop for police.