Two people have been fined more than £1100 after they were caught cycling in a restricted area of Grimsby town centre.
The area is subject to a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which North East Lincolnshire Council (NELC) says is intended to “deal with persistent anti-social behaviour in a local area that is detrimental to the community’s quality of life.” As a result, a number of restrictions are in place to avoid people behaving anti-socially – including a prohibition of cycling on Victoria Street.
Recently, two men were fined at Grimsby Magistrates Court for breaching the rules around cycling. They were both given an initial fine in July 2024, but failed to pay, leading to a court prosecution. Collectively, they were ordered to pay £1,128 in fines, but neither appeared at court.
Discussing the matter, NELC highlighted one incident where a woman named Susan Godfrey was scarred for life by a cyclist who was not abiding by the rules.
Speaking about the incident, Susan said: “I’m the living proof of why these PSPOs are in place. If that happened to a child or someone older, they could’ve been killed. I just hope people will think more about what they’re doing. My arm shows how important it is to not cycle down there, please, just do the right thing.”
Councillor Ron Shepherd, Portfolio Holder for Safer and Stronger Communities, added: “Whilst some suggest these measures are too harsh, there are clear examples of why these PSPOs are in place.
“Whilst there is still ample space for emergency vehicles and other business related vehicles down Victoria Street, it is essential that people respect the PSPO to prevent any other injuries such as the one sustained by Susan.
“We will continue to enforce this alongside our Days of Action and ever improving CCTV system that has aided in a multitude of incidents across the town centre, all of which has paid in to reducing crime by 5% over the past two years.”
Part of the Gi Grimsby News team since 2020.