A CYCLE safety initiative has been launched by West Mercia Police and the Safer Roads Partnership (SRP) with figures revealing two deaths and 76 serious injuries to cyclists in three years.

Representatives from SRP and uniformed officers will be stationed at various points across Worcestershire and stopping cyclists who are not visible enough and giving out safety advice as well as high-vis products.

The first stop for the Be Safe Be Seen campaigners, including Inspector Gareth Morgan and PCSO Katie Hearnden Fellows, was Kidderminster Road in Droitwich last Friday afternoon (November 17).

As the winter sets in, the initiative will also be stationed in Worcester, Evesham and Malvern over the next few weeks.

With the increasing popularity of cycling and the move towards more sustainable and affordable transport options, there are a lot more cyclists on the road, making their safety a priority for police.

Over the last three years, approximately 1,200 cyclists benefitted from safety advice and freebies at initiatives across Warwickshire and West Mercia.

A spokeswoman for the scheme said: “This initiative isn’t about singling cyclists out, or giving out cautions or tickets. It’s simply to raise awareness about the need for cyclists to make themselves visible on the roads – particularly now with the darker mornings and evenings.”

Police are also warning cyclists to take extra care when securing their bicycles in the county after bike theft figures rose by almost 1,000 per cent in four years.

An FOI to West Mercia Police has revealed the number of reported thefts of pushbikes in Worcestershire has gone up from 76 in 2012/13 to 828 in 2016/17 – an increase of 989.5 per cent.

Worcester has seen a spate of recent bike thefts, including from a bike rack on Fish Street.

PC Paul Lambon, of Worcester City Centre Safer Neighbourhood Team, was seen last week putting police tape and a warning sign on the rack after four bikes were stolen there.

He said: “We advise bike owners to secure their bikes using a good quality lock as all of the bikes stolen have used versions of the common flexi cable lock and we would recommend at least using a D-Lock for a valuable bike.

“This is just the first phase of our cycle security campaign that will be followed up with a property marking events and further enforcement action.”