A BURY businessman said he was left "astonished" when police informed him they were taking no further action against a driver who knocked him off his bike.

Richard Hearne was on his way to work at the junction of Tong Road in Little Lever, Bolton, when a car pulled out and struck him.

Mr Hearne, who runs gas connections consultancy firm 1Gas & 1Power in Bury, collided into the bonnet but thankfully was not seriously hurt, but his bike was damaged and is currently being repaired.

He was wearing a yellow vest at the time, and claimed that the female driver admitted that she had not been paying attention.

Mr Hearne exchanged insurance details with the driver and later called the police, but was told by officers that they would not take any further action.

The 32-year-old then decided to complain and wrote a letter to Sir Peter Fahy, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), who sent him a personal reply.

In his letter, Sir Peter said that the police is unable to respond to such incidents because of cuts and staffing shortages, and that insurance companies are best placed to deal with it.

Sir Peter said: "First I am sorry you were involved in such a dangerous incident and GMP very much appreciates that many cyclists feel that poor driving by motorists is not taken seriously enough.

"Just because we did not attend your incident does not mean that we don't care about this or there is no interest in road safety. It is just that the number of priorities we have far exceeds the number of staff available."

But Mr Hearne said: "I am astonished that the police have said they are not going to investigate this. I could have been seriously injured or killed, but it seems that if you are not injured then they don't take it seriously.

"It has not put me off cycling, it has made me more determined if anything. I have installed a camera and some more safety lights now though."

In his letter, Sir Peter added that the force has agreed to speak with the driver about the incident, but that it is unlikely that any prosecution could be brought.