WITH autumn nights beginning to draw in, police in Bromsgrove are reminding cyclists of all ages to use lights on their bikes when it gets dark.

The warning comes as officers are becoming increasingly concerned at a number of reports of cyclists, especially children, riding their bicycles in dark or dusky conditions with no lights on.

As well as putting their own safety at risk by being difficult and sometimes impossible to spot, the cyclists can also become a hazard to pedestrians who may not see or hear them coming.

The law requires cyclists at night to show a white front light and a red rear one, plus a red rear reflector and amber pedal reflectors.

Although there is no legal obligation to fit reflectors on the wheels or a white front reflector to bicycles, any extra precautions to aid visibility are advisable.

Cyclists with dynamo lights need to remember that their lights will go off when they stop moving - which means battery powered lights can be safer.

"Cyclists need to realise that they are much harder to see than a vehicle, so to help drivers avoid hitting you in poor light, they need to do as much as they can to be highly visible," said a police spokesman.

"Fitting proper lights and reflectors is a must and we encourage people to go much further and wear reflective materials at night and fluorescent materials during the day - clothing made of both is even better," said the spokesman.

"Put simply, if you can't be seen you are just asking for trouble."

Further cycle safety tips are available from the Department of Transport's website at www.cyclesense.net as part of its CycleSense campaign.