Nottingham hit-and-run cyclist 'overwhelmed' by support

A cyclist who was driven off the road in a hit-and-run attack, says he has been "overwhelmed" by the response to his viral video showing what happened.

Last week, Nottinghamshire Police said there was not enough evidence to prosecute the driver, despite the car's number plate being clearly visible.

But police said they could not prove who was driving as it was a hire car.

The cyclist, known as Reginald Scot, said he had received thousands of messages from around the world.

"The response has been massive and I've had literally thousands of messages from America, Australia, Asia and Europe.

"I think everyone was surprised at the ferocity of the attack against a cyclist on the road.

"[The cycling community] have all jumped on board to try to improve the situation on Britain's roads."

The cyclist was thrown from his bicycle when he was hit by the car

A caption over the video says: "My back is in severe pain and I feel like I can't breathe."

Mr Scot said he needed four months to recover from his injuries, with a further month of physiotherapy, having suffered a severe back injury and internal haemorrhaging, after the crash in 2014.

The footage was posted online last week after Mr Scot learned no criminal action could be taken against the driver.

Police said a man who was eligible to drive the car was fined £150 for failing to provide driver details.

Reginald Scot said everyone was keen to campaign for greater safety for cyclists on Britain's roads

The video shows a Volvo being driven behind the cyclist around a roundabout in Nottingham city centre.

It follows him from a distance, but then suddenly accelerates and shunts the bicycle.

The camera falls to the ground and the cyclist can be heard groaning and breathing heavily.

In a statement, Nottinghamshire Police said: "While we share the victim's disappointment at the outcome, we feel the investigating police officer made every effort to ensure that the occupants of the car were found and brought before the courts."

Mr Scot added he would post a series of videos online with further explanations of the situation.

'Not enough evidence'

• Nottinghamshire Police said the investigating officer established the car was a hire vehicle that had been sub-leased through a number of different companies

• The officer traced a man and a woman who were eligible to drive the car, so could have been driving on that day. The man and woman were issued with a formal request to provide the driver's details, but did not respond

• They were interviewed and summonsed to court for failing to stop at the scene of an accident, failing to report an accident and failing to respond to a legal request for driver details

• The evidence was then reviewed by the Crown Prosecution Service and a decision was made that there was not enough to prove who was driving the vehicle at the moment of the collision

• As a result, the prosecution for failing to stop and failing to report was discontinued. The 52-year-old man, from Nottingham, received six penalty points and a £150 fine for failing to provide driver details