POLICE officers in Barrow-in-Furness have had to step up patrols recently after a spate of incidents where motorcycles have been ridden anti-socially.
The scenes have included people riding unregistered and uninsured motorcycles, and people riding in areas such as a local industrial estate and even on the beach in nearby Walney.
A Cumbria Police spokeswoman said:
“Officers in Barrow have received an increase in calls regarding the anti-social use of off-road motorbikes on Walney beach, as well as the use of off-road or unregistered motorbikes on waste ground in the perimeter of Salthouse Mills.”
One such incident, pictured above, included a rider being arrested for drug driving, no licence, no insurance, and driving without due care and attention. Needless to say, the rider’s motorbike was seized by the officers.
Cumbria's police and crime commissioner Peter McCall welcomed the patrols and sent a message to those who cause trouble riding motorbikes.
“Those who ride motorcycles anti-socially deserve to be taken off the roads and estates. Add in drugs, a lack of licence and they are dangerous, making life miserable for residents.”
Illegal motorcycle use across the UK has been on the up during lockdown, with the warming weather causing further instances or it. Just a couple of weeks ago police in Coventry took to using drone technology to trace illegal riders, while police in Scotland have been pleading with parents to ‘know the law’ with regard to off-road motorcycle use.
It's not just petrol-powered bikes being ridden illegally either, the rise in e-scooter use in the UK has also been a problem, with most major UK cities seeing an issue. If an e-scooter is hired from a government-backed e-scooter rental scheme, it is legal to ride as long as the user does so within the terms and conditions of the hire. People though are shunning the recognised schemes and buying their own and riding them not in accordance with road traffic laws.
