Crackdown launched on off-road mini-bikes in Coventry

Police in Coventry are about to start clamping down on people riding mini-motorbikes through parks and housing estates.



It follows 296 complaints about the issue in Longford and Henley in the north-east of the city in 2010.

West Midlands Police are deploying specially-trained officers from March who’ll also ride minibikes to catch any off-roaders causing a nuisance.

PC Robert Cheshire, who’s part of the project, said: “People are using high-powered motorbikes in public places without any training.”

“There’s the potential for serious incidents involving not just the public, but the riders of the bikes themselves.”

Other areas that will be targeted by officers during Operation Scramble include parts of Wood End, Morris Common Stoke, Wyken Nature Reserve, and Canley’s housing estates.

It will run until September - in the meantime, anyone who wants to report an incident of anti-social behaviour to West Midlands Police should call 0345 113 5000.