Police want to speak to a man in relation to tacks injuring cyclists on Yarra Boulevard

A PERSON with a vendetta against cyclists who has been littering a cycling hotspot with tacks could be caught by police soon.

Police are asking for the public’s help to find an elusive criminal who has been littering countless dangerous metal tacks across bike paths in Kew for years.

THE mysterious person with a vendetta against cyclists could soon be caught by police.

For the past two years an unknown culprit has been scattering sharp tacks on a stretch of road on the Yarra Boulevard, between the Studley Park Road overpass and the Chandler Highway exit at Kew, causing serious damage to cyclists.

The tacks puncturing cyclists’ tyres are strewn along the road a couple of times a month, and cyclists are fed up.

But there’s been a breakthrough in the case, and police believe CCTV footage may lead them to the culprit.

A man was spotted ripping a pump station from a fence before stealing a crate of spare tyres.

Police may be one step closer to finding the person scattering tacks on the Yarra Boulevard. Picture: Janine Eastgate

The tacks have put some cyclists in hospital and one even suffered from a brain haemorrhage and broken ribs.

Cyclists have even been concerned about the tacks eventually killing somebody.

The relentless cyclist attacker was caught on CCTV on December 1 last year.

It is believed he was driving a 2015 VW Polo Golf up and down the Yarra Boulevard about 5.30am.

He stopped at the puncture repair station and tore it down.

The man is believed to be caucasian and aged in his mid-30s.

He was unshaven at the time and appeared to be growing a dark beard.

Police believe the man lives in the Kew area as he was only dressed in a white singlet and shorts and was not wearing any shoes.

The man police want to talk to in relation to tacks on Yarra Boulevard was driving a 2015 VW Polo Golf.

Up to 800 punctured tyres have been reported to police in the area over the past two years and the cost to cyclists is about $5000.

It has also cost VicRoads up to $100,000 to monitor the road and clean up the tacks.

Cyclist George Mihailides told news.com.au in January he believed the person dropping the tacks was paying close attention to what cyclists were doing.

“We had two protest rides and there were tacks thrown on the road prior to both rides. We are fairly sure the person doing this has a visual of the boulevard or lives in the area,” he said.

Anybody with information should phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or lodge a confidential report to www.crimestoppersvic.com.au.