ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox twice a day Monday - Friday plus breaking news updates Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences

A campaigning cyclist whose footage of motorists driving recklessly in London featured in a controversial TV documentary has received death threats.

Gareth Williams, 24, was shown in the BBC programme The War On Britain’s Roads challenging bad drivers as he recorded his daily ride to and from work on his helmet camera.

People took to Twitter after Wednesday’s broadcast to attack his “arrogant” attitude, with one user writing: “I’d happily run him over.”

Today Mr Williams said the threats came as no surprise and vowed to continue cycling in London.

He said the programme exaggerated the conflict between motorists and cyclists - and ignored his work highlighting irresponsible riders.

The web developer from Croydon, who cycles 30 miles a day in and out of work in central London, told the Standard: “I have been doing this for three years and have ridden probably 16,000 miles.

"I estimate I have been overtaken or overtaken three-quarters of a million vehicles. When you are doing that in central London you are going to come across some nutters.

"But I would put that at one in 15,000 vehicles.”

He added: “I don’t see it as cyclist v motorist. It’s good road user v bad road user.

"Ask anyone who was involved in that film and they are going to say it’s not a ‘war’.

“The threats are no different, to be honest. I put stuff on YouTube and I get a lot worse than that.

"It’s hot air. People think they are anonymous on the internet. Come the real world, they will run away crying. I don’t think I’m at risk.”

Mr Williams, who tweets under the name CycleGaz, said he had seen reports of the abuse and was aware people had mentioned him on Twitter.

But he said he was unaware of direct threats, and tweeted today: “Apparently I’m getting death threats. That’s funny because I haven’t seen any.”

He told the Standard: “None of the stuff that was directed at me from that point of view was what I would consider out of the norm.

"It’s fairly easy to deal with. I don’t think about it. I get lots of people on YouTube saying, ‘If I see you I will run you over. You are going to die.’ You get so used to it you just ignore it.”

But he said he may take a break from posting videos recorded on his helmet camera. “I might go quiet for a bit,” he said. “I don’t like the attention.”

He said he was “disappointed” with the way the programme was edited and revealed it had started out with a different vision.

“It was initially about the people using [helmet] cameras or calling for safer cycling.

"It was more about the campaign side and what people have done and how we push things forward, and how we use the cameras.

"That was pushed to the BBC but it wasn’t edgy enough for them. At that stage it would have been difficult for me to say I want to back out.

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”