IN JUST three hours, police issued fines totalling more than £8,500 to cyclists riding in Oxford with no lights.

The operation on Friday evening saw 171 cyclists stopped in the city centre for breaking road laws.

Pc Mark Pilling, right, of the Abingdon traffic police unit, said the £50 fixed penalty notices were handed out between 6pm and 9pm in High Street.

Cyclists will not have to pay the penalties if they buy lights for their bikes and produce a receipt for inspection at a police station.

Police traditionally carry out similar checks every year after the clocks go back.

Earlier this year Oxford police launched a campaign called Operation Bike to educate cyclists about the rules of the road and in turn make them safer.