MOTORISTS and cyclists were fined almost £20,000 as part of a York and Selby safety campaign.

Police gave out 665 fixed penalty notices and issued 709 warnings - almost all of them to cyclists - about safety issues, as part of Operation Causeway.

They handed out £19,950 in fines as part of the campaign, which ran from November to this month, in response to local traffic laws being abused.

Insp Richard Abbott said he was "very disappointed" that so many offenders had to be brought to book.

He said: "These incidents are not just minor offences that don't need to be taken seriously - they are literally a matter of life and death. This operation has been all about saving lives.

Under Operation Causeway, 157 drivers received fixed penalty notices for using a hand-held mobile at the wheel and a further 26 were warned about their conduct, 252 drivers and passengers received tickets for not wearing a seatbelt and 22 were warned, and 26 fixed penalties were issued in cases where a child was not wearing a belt or using a booster seat. Officers gave 104 tickets to cyclists riding on footpaths, and warned 308.

A further 126 cyclists were fined for riding without lights, four were given a summons, 335 received warnings and 17 were ordered to show that they had fixed safety defects.

Insp Abbott said: "Everyone knew the operation was coming - it was widely publicised throughout the media. Operation Causeway has ended, but no-one should imagine North Yorkshire Police are going to stop dealing decisively with all those who gamble with safety in these ways."

Cyclist hurt in bus collision

A CYCLIST was taken to hospital after a collision with a bus on a busy main road last night.

The 60-year-old woman received head and pelvic injuries in the accident with a First York bus near the Co-op supermarket in Tadcaster Road.

Two police cars were called to the scene at about 5.50pm, and an ambulance took the woman to York Hospital.

Sergeant Rick Hall, of York Police, said: "The lady's injuries are not serious or life-threatening - she's been taken to hospital for a check-up. I'm sure she'll be fine."

Sergeant Hall said police were investigating the cause of the accident.

Peter Edwards, First York commercial director, said: "I think it was a lady, and she was knocked off her bike and was taken to hospital."

He said the accident had not caused significant delays to services.

Chris Lang, 19, who works at the nearby BP petrol station, said: "There were loads of police interviewing people.

"Apparently they saw the woman walking into the ambulance."