An unmarked police officer has began cycling around Edinburgh as part of a new safety campaign.

Any drivers who pass him too closely will be pulled over and given advice.

The police campaign aims to highlight the space cyclists need on the roads.

Operation Close Pass uses a special mat to show how much room drivers should give cyclists when overtaking.

The initiative began on Monday, with the police cyclist using a helmet-mounted camera to record drivers.

Almost 400 cyclists have been injured in crashes on Edinburgh's streets in the last two years, with 62 being seriously hurt.

Constable Dominic Doyle said: "A lot of drivers see a person on a bicycle riding on the road on in a cycle lane and don't consider that passing them closely puts all road users in danger.

"It could constitute careless or even dangerous driving and you would fail your driving test for that.

"Those drivers that we stop during this operation will be shown how closely they passed the unmarked officer by standing on our specially designed mat.

"You should allow at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car when passing a person on a bicycle, giving consideration to the maximum speed limit and time and distance available to you."

The initiative will be rolled out across Scotland after it was introduced by West Midlands Police.

Keith Irving, chief executive of Cycling Scotland, said: "This initiative is one of the many we need to take to tackle the increase in serious injuries amongst people cycling.

"We aim to see the scheme rolled out nationwide so everyone will benefit, complementing the Give Everyone Cycle Space road safety awareness campaign which reminds people to drive and overtake safely around people riding bikes."