A MUSSELBURGH builder has been fined and had points added to his driving licence after he struck a cyclist with his vehicle.

Peter Selkirk, 60, was driving in the town centre when he accidentally collided with cyclist Finlay Pollock at a set of traffic lights, a court heard.

Edinburgh Sheriff Court was told that Selkirk was driving his Nissan Qashqai in Musselburgh at about 10.40am on March 7 last year.

Two cyclists had stopped in front of Selkirk’s car at a red light on the town’s High Street when his vehicle was said to have “lurched forward” and struck Mr Pollock’s bike.

The cyclist fell to the ground but the court was told that there was no injury sustained, though he did suffer damage to a watch and to his bike.

The court heard that the police were called and the damage amounted to a total of £381.

Selkirk, of Campie Gardens, was not present when his case was called at the Capital court last Thursday but Sheriff Douglas Keir said that he could deal with the offence in his absence.

Solicitor Angela Craig said that her client was pleading guilty to an amended charge of driving without due care and attention.

Ms Craig said that Selkirk had no previous convictions and he had been fully insured at the time of the incident.

The lawyer added that Selkirk’s vehicle had a push button handbrake and he had accidentally “lurched forward and hit the bike”.

Following the bump, Mr Pollock had climbed onto the bonnet of Selkirk’s vehicle to remonstrate with him, said Ms Craig,

She added: “He then went home and phoned the police himself and he accepted full responsibility.”

Sheriff Keir fined the self-employed builder £270 and added four penalty points onto his licence.

Selkirk pleaded guilty to an amended charge of driving a vehicle in close proximity to two cyclists without due care and attention and failing to maintain control of his vehicle while positioned behind the cyclists at a red light, causing his vehicle to strike the bicycle ridden by Finlay Pollock so that he was knocked to the ground and damage was caused to his equipment at High Street, Musselburgh, on March 7 last year.