Eston Hills: Barriers fail to stop illegal bikes at beauty spot

Cleveland Police officers with two of the off-road motorbikes they have seized

Volunteers say illegal off-road bikers are ruining the landscape and pathways around a Teesside beauty spot.

They have described a "scourge" of young adults moving barriers and concrete blocks at the base of the Eston Hills to get to the land.

In the past week Cleveland Police have tracked illegal riders with drones and sent officers to seize the motorbikes and arrest people riding them.

Seven off-road bikes have been seized and drugs and imitation firearms.

Fencing has been broken to illegally access the area which had been blocked by a concrete bollard

Maggie Gavaghan, secretary of Friends of Eston Hills (FOEH), said: "It's absolutely horrendous, we are trying to keep our beauty spot as nice as possible but all the time new tracks of bikes are ruining the pathways.

"We have a lot of people working together, trying to do something but funding is always an issue and finding a place in the priority of what gets done first."

Officers have spent the past week tackling anti-social behaviour around the illegal use of off-road bikes

The FOEH welcomed police action under the banner of Operation Endurance - an ongoing initiative to tackle the anti-social and illegal use of off-road vehicles in the area.

Over the past few months 50 bikes have been seized.

In December six bikes - including quad bikes - were crushed as part of the police operation.

Insp Ian Mitchell said: "Off-road bikes are a blight on the local community.

"They are extremely dangerous, noisy and anti-social, ripping up green areas and putting pedestrians at risk.

"As a force, we are listening to residents and putting measures in place to tackle the problem head on, using innovative methods such as drones and police off-road bikes to catch the culprits."

Tyre marks have left deep ruts in the land at Flatts Lane, which was secured until a wooden fence was broken

He added a newly-formed committee - made up of representatives from Cleveland Police, council officials, Cleveland Fire Brigade, Trading Standards, local landowners and residents - had discussed how to tackle the issue long-term.

The force is also working with petrol stations to prevent off-road bikes filling up with fuel.

Insp Mitchell said: "By sharing information about who is riding these bikes, where they are stored and letting us know when they are being sold on social media sites, we can go in and seize the bikes."

Although vehicle access to the foot of the hills, which sit between Redcar, Middlesbrough and Guisborough, has been blocked by wooden fencing or concrete blocks riders are still finding a route around it.

Volunteers said regularly finding damaged fencing and deep tyre ruts was disheartening.

Ms Gavaghan added: "We took on the hills to try and preserve our lovely heritage with the mines and the views, we really want to establish a history trail, a place for families to spend time together, but dealing with all the anti social behaviour is just throwing good money away.

"There are barriers all over the base of the hills and police try their hardest but illegal drivers and riders are still getting up and leaving their mark."

Officers from Cleveland Police using off road bikes as part of Operation Endurance

She said plans were under way to start removing some of the abandoned and burnt-out vehicles left behind by criminals who had driven them on to the hills, got them stuck and then set fire to them.

Three vehicles on the Redcar side will be removed in the coming weeks by a volunteer, she said.