Illegal bikers face summer crackdown

Specialist help: Police off road bikers can be called in to help catch illegal riders

ILLEGAL off-road bikers face a summer crackdown in Dearne area communities with the promise of regular police operations and other work to curb the problem.

Riders using motorbikes and quads cause problems on roads. public green spaces and farmland across the district.

Now police responsible for the Wombwell and Darfield area, as well as surrounding communities, have announced they plan regular operations through the summer, using both local officers and calling in specialist colleagues on their own off road bikes.

Colleagues responsible for the Goldthorpe, Bolton-on-Dearne and Thurnscoe communties are planning similar action.

The dangers of illegal biking have been highlighted by a crash in Windsor Street, Goldthorpe, where a rider was taken to hospital with a broken leg. He had not been wearing a helmet, so the consequences could have been worse.

Another serious incident was reported in Straight Lane, Goldthorpe.

In Darfield, local officers proved their own tactics can work, and they were able to detain an off road bike known to have been ridden in the area, which turned out to be stolen.

A van which had arrived to collect the bike was also seized after police checks showed it had neither insurance or an MoT.

Police have also responded to requests from the community to contact filling stations in the area, to ask for help in challenging illegal riders who turned up for fuel.

Darfield Cllr Kevin Osborne told officers that fuelling their machines was the “Achilles heel” for illegal bikers, as they are normally disguised with helmets or balaclavas when riding, but had to show their faces when buying fuel.

A Police and Communities Together meeting heard that a farmer had been assaulted recently in a confrontation with a biker and that freshly sown fields were being churned up by illegal vehicles, damaging crops and affecting their incomes.

Police have agreed to ask petrol retailers for help, though a PCSO warned that those wanting to buy fuel could turn nasty, stating: “It is often single crewed females behind the counter and they find it extremely intimidating when they ask them to take helmets off.

“Previously, there have been threats made to staff members,” he said.

Dearne area officers now have powerful cameras, which enable them to get clear images of bikers from long distances.