Nottinghamshire Police 'told near-miss cyclist to go away'

A cyclist who filmed a near-miss with a car said he was told to "go away" when he tried to report it to police.

The car narrowly missed Jonathan Hunt, 42, as it drove into the bus and cycle lane on Carlton Road, in Sneinton, Nottingham, at 08:45 BST on Wednesday.

Former Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman tweeted "it's not right" the police were not recording it.

After being contacted by the BBC, Nottinghamshire Police said it would investigate.

Updates on this story and more from the East Midlands

Jonathan Hunt taking part in a bike race in 2006

Mr Hunt, a former racing cyclist who was a double national champion at the age of 18, said the police operator on the non-emergency 101 suggested he was wasting her time.

He said she told him: "We can't possibly do anything about that.

"We don't have the resources to look at this... can you go away please? I have life and death calls coming in."

Jonathan Hunt and his son two-year-old son Elliott

The father of two said: "The way she spoke to me - it was quite disgusting. I felt disappointed and shocked."

He added that her response was "upsetting" as other forces had been campaigning for vulnerable cyclists.

Mr Hunt, who commutes to work in the city from Mansfield, said he would make a complaint to Nottinghamshire Police.

He said he had to slam on his brakes to avoid being hit by the car.

"The lady driving the car just pulled in. I very nearly crashed into her. Then she stopped in front of me with her hazards on.

"I don't think she had any idea what happened. This sort of thing happens to me a lot. You just get frustrated."

Chris Boardman, who is a policy advisor for British Cycling, replied to Mr Hunt after he posted the video on Twitter

He said: "Video evidence should be used by all police forces to help improve road safety for everyone no matter how you get around."

The force said in a statement: "Nottinghamshire Police takes all road safety matters seriously.

"We are re-contacting Mr Hunt and will investigate the incident."

Chris Boardman is an Olympic gold medallist and wore the yellow jersey three times on the Tour de France

Sam Jones, Cycling UK spokesman, said: "It is worrying that they are not accepting video footage. They need to take into consideration some of the most vulnerable road users.

"It is sending the wrong message if that sort of behaviour is allowed."

He said other forces accepted video footage.

Police forces which Cycling UK knows accept video evidence:

• The Metropolitan

• West Midlands

• North Wales

• North Yorkshire

• Cheshire (just launched this week)