The Sedgefield neighbourhood beat team hope to pre-empt a seasonal rise in complaints about the vehicles in the Trimdons, Fishburn and Sedgefield areas.

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Clampdown on anti social bikers 9:50am Thursday 15th April 2010 VILLAGE police are clamping down on anti social use of off-road motorbikes. The Sedgefield neighbourhood beat team hope to pre-empt a seasonal rise in complaints about the vehicles in the Trimdons, Fishburn and Sedgefield areas. It has launched Operation Pheonix 2010 in a bid to combat such incidents and will target known hot spots to improve the safety and quality of life for residents. Officers hope the operation will also act as a warning to young bikers who could be risking their own safety and would face prosecution if caught breaking the law. PC John Seymour, dedicated beat officer for Trimdon, said: "Looking at historical information at the time of the year, as the weather improves and with school holidays, unacceptable use of these off-road bikes increases and we hope this operation will combat the problem before it escalates. "We get calls about youths on mini motos and scrambler bikes in farmers’ fields, school fields, footpaths and bridleways. "The complaints include noise, public safety concerns particularly when they are on paths, turf being ripped up and occasionally damage to crops." The majority of calls to police about off-road bikes have centred on Trimdon Grange, in particular Galbraith Terrace. And in Fishburn, most complaints have related to the Moorside Crescent and Sycamore Road areas as well as the industrial estate. Community intelligence officers will perform extra high visibility and covert foot and mobile patrols round the clock in the villages. Offenders will be stopped by officers and those spoken to for the first time with get a police warning. A second offence will lead to the vehicle being seized and a fee would be payable for its release and the rider could face court proceedings. PC Seymour said: "If these bikes are used on public highways they need a licence, insurance, MOT certificate and riders must wear headgear. "It doesn’t matter what age they are all traffic matters have to be dealt with by the courts." To report incidents contact the Sedgefield police team on 0345-60-60-365.