Seized bike donated to learners at Stoke on Trent College as a crackdown on nuisance bikes continues

A crackdown on nuisance bikes across Stoke-on-Trent is continuing in a bid to stop those who cause anti-social behaviour.

Operation Transom was launched last year to provide a partnership approach to tackling the use of nuisance bikes.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police have been working to target those who are damaging public green spaces and putting the public at risk through the illegal use of off-road motorbikes.

Part of this work has seen increased patrols around hotspot areas and seizing bikes which are used to commit ASB in the locality.

Over the past 12 months there have been 120 reports of nuisance bikes reported to the council. The police and council have carried out numerous joint visits to properties where owners have been identified and carried out patrols in hotspot areas such as the Abbey Hulton and Longton areas, Goldenhill Golf Course and Central Forest Park.

Now one of these nuisance bikes is set to be put to good use by students at a local college.

A seized bike has been donated to Stoke on Trent College for students in the Motor Vehicle department to work as an educational tool. The bike which was seized by Staffordshire Police in Chell at the end of 2023 was donated to the college last week.

Councillor David Williams, cabinet member for community safety and resilience said: “It is fantastic that this nuisance bike is now being put to good use and students in the city are benefiting.

“Nuisance bikes cause misery for residents across many areas of our city. This kind of behaviour is simply unacceptable, and it will not be tolerated. 

“As a council, we have worked closely with Staffordshire Police to put in place measures that enable them to seize vehicles that are being driven in a way that causes, or is likely to cause, alarm, distress or annoyance.

“Our anti-social behaviour team will continue to gather evidence around nuisance bikes and the police have assured me that they will continue to take action when individuals are identified."

Steven Michael, Assistant Principal, Apprenticeships and Skills from Stoke on Trent College said: “This is a great example of partnership working and we are grateful to Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent City Council for reaching out to us with this opportunity. It’s absolutely fantastic that the motorbike will now be put to good use. Our learners and apprentices will benefit from being able to gain hands-on, practical experience to support the development of their real-world skills, helping them to be skills ready, future ready.”

Sergeant Jon Tench, from Stoke North LPT (local policing team), said: “Tackling reports of anti-social behaviour is a key priority for the team and this, of course, includes nuisance bikers as they can be a constant source of concern for our communities. Not only is it dangerous for the rider, as they often don’t wear helmets, and to other road users and pedestrians, it also causes noise nuisance and damage.

“As such, we continue to work hard on identifying nuisance bikers and have successfully seized and destroyed a number of machines to prevent further disruption to the public. We are delighted to be able to support young people to develop new skills by donating this particular bike to the college.”

To report nuisance bikes to the council you can call 01782 233400 or email operationtransom@stoke.gov.uk. To report a nuisance bike to Staffordshire Police call101 or message using the Live Chat on their website.