"I know it is important to obey traffic laws - but I have obviously made mistakes on this occasion and I am sorry," he said in a statement.

Journalists from the Daily Mirror covertly filmed Cameron riding his bike unlawfully on several occasions.

His list of infractions includes cycling the wrong way on a one-way street, crossing a road with the 'red man' sign showing, going the wrong way round a bollard, and edging past the white line at red traffic lights.

Road safety groups were critical of Cameron's behaviour.

"It is essential that all road users, including cyclists, obey traffic laws," said Kevin Clinton, head of road safety for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).

"The laws are there for everybody's safety and, as always, it is disappointing when someone in the public eye sets a bad example."

A spokesperson for road safety charity Brake said: "The rules are there to protect everybody -- all road users, including motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists, have to stick to them."

"People are dying on the roads every day, and we can't afford to become complacent, because more people are going to be hurt if we start to break the laws."

"As a role model Mr Cameron must be aware that if he does break them, it is going to send out the wrong message to those he hopes to inspire."

But there was sympathy for him from a cyclist's campaign group.

"It shows what an ass cycling regulation [and] traffic management is in this country at the moment," said Kevin Mayne, director of CTC.

"We campaign in CTC for things like opening up one-way streets, which are allowed all over Europe."

"[Mr Cameron] is a yard in front of the white line in front of the Houses of Parliament -- frankly, that's where I'd go to get away from the cars."

"He was hardly jumping the light."