CYCLISTS are being caught out the most by controversial new rules in central Oxford, a new report shows.

The 'public spaces protection order' (PSPO) introduced in February 2016 means people caught riding through Queen Street or Cornmarket Street between 10am and 6pm could be handed a £100 on-the-spot fine.

It also includes restrictions on 'aggressive begging', 'inappropriate use of public toilets', urination and defecation in public areas, rogue street entertaining, illegal street trading drinking in public places and out of control dogs.

But it is cyclists who are the most serial offenders, figures from Oxford City Council show.

The authority said more than 200 people had been stopped for cycling in Queen Street or Cornmarket Street outside of the permitted hours – far more breaches than for any other offence.

The order can be enforced by city council or police officers, but people breaching it are often simply stopped and given an information sheet.

Simon Hunt, chairman of cycling group Cyclox, said the high rate of breaches by cyclists showed that the ban in Queen Street and Cornmarket Street should be reconsidered.

He added: "I am not terribly surprised by these figures because both those streets are very natural through-routes, particularly Queen Street because alternatives are too far away.

"It is the east-west route from High Street to the railway station and I would guess people are choosing to ignore signs in the areas where cycling is not allowed.

"That is obviously regrettable because the law is very clear and should not be broken, but it is also an indication that there is a real need to allow cycling during the day.

"We have made that point very strongly in the past but so far it has not resulted in any change in policy.

"If the city council is going to continue with that restriction, it should give it greater publicity so that at least more people will be aware."

The restrictions on Queen Street and Cornmarket Street were put in place by transport authority Oxfordshire County Council, which says that making streets accessible only to pedestrians 'greatly improves the quality of public place within the city centre'.

The city council included the ban in its PSPO so that it could be enforced more strictly. According to the authority, 234 people have been stopped for cycling outside the permitted hours.

This represented the biggest number of breaches of the PSPO, compared to 22 people stopped for illegal street trading, 15 for 'aggressive' begging, seven for loud or obstructive street entertaining, three for drinking alcohol in public spaces and three for 'the control of dogs'.

But Sushila Dhall, chairman of Oxford Pedestrians' Association, said it was not a reason to relax the rules and claimed there was 'not enough space for pedestrians as it is'.

She added: "The majority of our members would not wants cyclists to be able to use Queen Street or Cornmarket Street in the day.

"At the moment, they are among the few spaces where you can actually just walk along without having to be alert and looking over your shoulder."