Police to chase mini Moto riders and crush bikes

From the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, first published Thursday 3rd Aug 2006.

MINI-MOTO menaces in Blackburn and Darwen have been warned they could soon reach the end of the road if they continue to break the law.

The warning came at the launch of a Blackburn with Darwen Community Safety Partnership campaign, part of the Government's Respect Task Force initiative that is targeting anti-social behaviour.

The miniature motorcycles, no more than 18 inches high, are proving to be a persistent noisy nuisance for many residents, who have demanded action.

The police have launched Operation Thunder that will utilise the force helicopter and thermal imaging cameras to track riders and Blackburn officers will also have access to off-road motorbikes to continue the chase.

The mini-moto bikes, which are not road legal and can not be insured, will be broken and crushed if they are seized by police.

Blackburn with Darwen Council's anti-social behaviour partnership officer, Lee McKean, said: "Mini-motos are a huge problem and we are not going to be soft on this issue.

"We are taking a hardline approach and will crush and destroy mini-motos so they can not be sold to anybody else. We are not messing around.

"We are working together to get these menaces off the street. If you have got one of these we will seize it, destroy it and crush it."

Mr McKean added that within a 20-mile radius of Blackburn there were over 250 mini-motos for people to buy off eBay for as little as £50.

The new partnership brings together resources in the ongoing battle against mini-motos, which Blackburn and Darwen police has been involved in for the past year.

As recently as last week Darwen police seized and crushed one of these bikes in the Sudellside area of the town.

Insp Mick Laraway, of Blackburn police, said: "There are still a persistent few riding these bikes so the ultimate sanction is to seize them.

"This is about drawing a line in the sand and saying enough is enough.

"They are dangerous for the riders and for other road users who will suffer injuries if this carries on."

Hotspot areas such as Shadsworth and Witton Park which see a high level of mini-moto usage and will be leafleted as part of the campaign to try to educate residents and riders about the dangers these vehicles pose.

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