Crackdown on off-road bikes as residents 'fed up'

Three unauthorised bikes were seized on the first day of the operation

A police crackdown on illegal off-road motorcycles has been launched in a town where people are "fed up" with the havoc they cause.

Drones and resident tip-offs are among the tactics being used to track the rogue riders in Wigan under Greater Manchester Police's Operation Handbrake.

The force has reported a growing number of antisocial biking across the town's green spaces.

Sgt Dan Canavan said the operation was aimed at getting "dangerous bikes away from areas which residents enjoy".

'Widespread problem'

Police patrols in the Leigh area seized three off-road vehicles on the first day of the campaign, with two people prosecuted for having no insurance.

Wigan Council is supporting the operation via a local community safety partnership.

About 70% of the area is designated as green space, which police say has drawn unsafe off-road vehicles.

Councillor Dane Anderton said hotspot areas would be targeted and reports from residents were "really important".

The approach was an "innovative way of tackling a widespread problem", Sgt Canavan said.