A week ago, police caught 85 cyclists in three hours disobeying the daytime cycling ban in Queen Street and Cornmarket Street in Oxford.

When the Oxford Mail repeated the operation yesterday, we spotted a staggering 223.

Do cyclists think the rules of the road don't apply to them - or are they plain daft?

Last week's police clampdown received widespread publicity in our newspapers and in other media.

Yet, seven days later, according to our observations, almost three times the number police nabbed were still breaking the law.

Cyclists riding through the two streets at busy times are clearly creating a hazard to shoppers.

If they wish to cycle through the city centre, there are other routes within easy reach, so there is absolutely no excuse for this lawbreaking.

What a pity we didn't have the power to impose fines on that crop of selfish, inconsiderate cyclists yesterday.

We hope it won't be long before the police repeat their operation.

Only by keeping up the pressure on cyclists will we stamp out this dangerous practice.