You may be aware that there has been an increase in the use of off-road bikes in the area. These bikes are not road legal, and the riders are often children, riding them with a passenger and without helmets or lights on. To be road legal motor vehicles must be constructed to a specific standard in order to be ridden on a public highway. Most off road bikes do not meet this standard. Visit www.dft.gov.uk for more information. In addition to meeting construction requirements, off road motorbikes also need the following for use on public highway: DVLA registration, road tax,valid MOT, be fitted with lights, fitted with registration plates. Rider must be aged 17 or over (16 if the vehicle meets the definition of a moped.), rider must hold a valid driving licence, have valid motor insurance and wear suitable safety equipment. Failure to comply is a criminal offence and may result in prosecution under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and Police Reform Act 2002. As well as being ridden on the roads, the riders of the bikes are often on footpaths, grassed public areas, snickets and alleyways and through the Dell without any regard for their own safety or the safety of members of the public. There have been several reports of ‘near misses’ whereby, bikes have narrowly missed colliding with other vehicles and pedestrians. As a community, it is vital that we work together to educate our young people about the danger they pose to themselves and others when choosing to go out on these bikes and also to ensure that robust action is taken against repeat offenders who think that the rules of the road and public safety do not apply to them. Proactive patrols are regularly carried out to deter the use of these bikes but the potential for a serious incident to occur, as these riders ‘make off’ from police, increases dramatically as they use any means necessary to evade police. This seriously heightens the risk to members of the public and to the riders themselves. Support from the community therefore is essential with regards to tackling this ongoing problem. If you have any information about off road bike use there are a number of ways this can be reported to us. - Call 999 if there is an immediate danger to life or an immediate response is required.
- Call 101 for non-emergencies.
- Give information with guaranteed anonymity via Crimestoppers UK by calling 0800 555 111.
Types of information required; - Description of rider, passenger and bike.
- Date, time, location and direction of travel.
Any information, however small, will help to support our efforts to deal with this issue. Thank you for your support. | 
