A CYCLIST who captured a shocking assault by a van driver has been urged by police to come forward.

The footage, which has been shared thousands of times since being uploaded to YouTube, shows the cyclist being knocked off his bike by a van belonging to Taylor Landscaping, which has an address listed in Langham.

He is then subjected to a tirade of verbal abuse.

The cyclist, who is thought to have filmed the video with a helmet camera, can be heard shouting “Get off the phone, you muppet” as he rides alongside the van.

In the clip, the driver, who is wearing a high-visibility jacket, appears to pull over – knocking into the cyclist and forcing him off his bike in the process.

As he gets out of the van, he accuses the cyclist of riding into him.

Passing cars can be heard beeping their horns as a fight breaks out between the two men. The van driver has since voluntarily spoken to the police.

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We’re aware of a YouTube video of a cyclist being assaulted and would advise the victim to contact police on 101 so it can be investigated.

“A man has voluntarily attended a Chelmsford Police station this morning to give an account of the incident.

“It has now been established that this incident took place in the Hornchurch area and the matter has been passed to the Metropolitan Police to investigate.”

Taylor Landscaping was previously listed on online tradespeople website TrustATrader, but has had its membership suspended.

The Gazette contacted Taylor Landscaping, which is also listed to an address in Ramsden Heath, near Billericay, for a comment, but our calls were not returned.