Cyclist injured in latest ambush on cycle path

ACYCLIST on the Bristol to Bath Railway Path through Easton was hospitalised after a group of young teenagers ambushed him.

Police have issued an appeal to two Good Samaritans who stopped to help the cyclist, who was thrown from his bike when the youngsters threw another bike into his path.

The man in his 30s was helped at the scene by two passers-by and an off-duty doctor who came upon the scene.

The man, who has not been named, was taken to hospital and released after treatment.

The incident happened on Tuesday, December 1, and police are now appealing for the two people who stopped to help the man to come forward.

It is the latest reported attack on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path in the Easton area, although it occurred in the week that police announced they were setting up an ‘action plan’ to tackle the issue of assaults, muggings and attacks on cyclists using the path.

In November and early December, there was a rise in reports of incidents on the cycle path, including attacks on lone female cyclists and, in Kingswood, on a woman jogging along the path.

The latest assault happened near Bruce Road in Easton.

Police said: “One of the youths put their bike in the man’s path, causing a collision and him to come off his bike. He was taken to hospital but has since been released. The bike was damaged in the incident.

“The group of males have been described as being in their early teens, mixed race and slim to average in build. They were all wearing dark hooded tops and dark jogging bottoms or jeans. Some of them had their own bikes with them,. We believe two members of the public, both male, stopped to assist the victim at the scene before the emergency services and an off-duty doctor arrived. We’d ask them both to come forward to let us know if they saw anything that may assist our enquiries,” he said.

Police said hat CCTV and house-to-house enquiries were being carried out.

“Anyone who saw what happened, or people acting suspiciously in the surrounding area are asked to call us on 101 and given the call-handler reference 5220273987,” police said.

Attacks, muggings, bike robberies and assaults are an annual phenomenon on the Bristol and Bath Railway Path - every winter they increase all through east Bristol as commuters and joggers use the path after dark.

Earlier this year, we revealed nearly 30 offences had been reported along the Bristol and Bath railway cycle path between March 2019 and March 2020.

The breakdown of offences - obtained via a Freedom of Information request - included several robberies, assault, one wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm and three sexual assaults on a female.