Warning for bikers

PEOPLE who illegally ride their motorcycles around Ollerton are being warned that their bikes will be crushed if they are caught.

Several high profile operations have been rolled out by police in the past in a bid to rid Ollerton and Boughton of motorcycle pests.

Operation Quagmire was the most recent and saw a clampdown that helped to reduce the nuisance of illegal motorcycles, mini-motos and other unlicensed vehicles being used in public places.

Ollerton and Boughton Safer Neighbourhood group at Ollerton Town Hall on Wednesday heard that the problem had arisen again in recent weeks.

A Newark and Sherwood district councillor for Ollerton, Mr Brian Smith, said since the beginning of the year residents of Ollerton village had experienced problems with motorcyclists illegally riding through village’s streets.

He said groups of up to five riders, aged around 14, had been spotted mainly using Bescar Lane, Main Street, Market Place and Kingston Drive.

Mr Smith said: “They have no silencers on the engines, and they are not wearing crash helmets.

“It is all very obvious and we have experienced a lot of it since the new year.

“I have called the police about this because I feel they are using the village so they can access the footpaths which go towards Rufford.”

Mr Smith said some had been spotted using the bus lane from Ollerton roundabout into the village, and riding on the play area and using it to access the petrol stations on the roundabout.

The beat officer for Ollerton and Boughton, Pc Colin Oakley, said illegal motorcyclists were once a massive problem in the town, and said the main culprits were young people.

He said: “If it is the same people time and again then we can do something about it.

“Some will go out of Ollerton. From our perspective if they do that then they will not be upsetting large numbers of people.

“We get very few complaints but there is always the issue that if we police an area effectively, it will shift the problem elsewhere.

“It is something we will be monitoring over the next few months to see what sort of problem we have got.”

A community support officer for Ollerton, Mr Gavin Oxby, said they had caught one rider on Wellow Road and another using the back lanes going towards Center Parcs. He said both had their bikes confiscated and crushed.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Police Reform Act 2002, bikes and vehicles can only be used on private land with the permission of the land owner.

Anyone caught using one in a public space risks having it seized and scrapped, and could receive a fine.

A warning notice is issued and parents are informed if the rider is under 18 although police now have the power to seize the motorcycle immediately and crush it, whereas previously they could be retrieved if an impounding fee was paid.