Police track down safe place for riders (From Oxford Mail)

Police track down safe place for riders

3:23pm Thursday 3rd June 2010

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YOUNGSTERS who disturb residents by tearing around on mini motos will be offered a safe place to ride.

Police in Barton, Oxford, hope to secure an area of land near Didcot where young people can legally ride their noisy miniature bikes, which have been a long-standing problem in Barton and Sandhills.

Police said a designated area would stop teenagers tearing around streets and churning up fields.

They have found a track at an undisclosed location near Didcot and are on the verge of signing a deal to lease it.

However, parents will need to find a trailer to transport the vehicles to the site as it is not legal to ride them on roads.

Barton residents said it was a brilliant idea, but added the site needed to be closer as the location in Didcot was 18 miles away.

Mother-of-three Lisa Birch, 40, of Watermill Way, Barton, said: “They are down our road all the time but Didcot is a little bit far away.

“It’s the noise and it’s dangerous because there are kids crossing the road. And they don’t wear helmets.

“Giving them a place to go is a brilliant idea though.”

Sgt Jim Holmes, of the Barton Neighbourhood Team, said many parents and young people had spent a lot of money investing in the hobby and deserved to be able to enjoy it legally and safely.

He said: “There are quite a few people with these off-road bikes and we’re trying to locate somewhere for them to be able to lawfully use them.

“Historically, every summer, the problem has come up as an issue and, this year, the idea is to resolve it.

“We are stepping up patrols and we’ve spoken to parents to tell them their kids can’t ride them. They seem to have taken it on board.”

Sgt Holmes said hotspots included an area of land behind Sandhills School and along Barton Village Road.

It is illegal to use mini motos on private land without permission from the landowner and on public land including pavements, car parks, tracks and playing fields. Bikes can be seized and crushed if owners continue to use them illegally and antisocially.

He said: “If they are serious about it, they will go and use the area. We’re giving them an alternative.”

Sue Holden, secretary of the Barton Community Association, said: “It’s important that somewhere is identified, but ultimately they want it on their doorstep.”

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