Watch the moment seized motorbikes are crushed as part of crackdown by Cleveland Police
Julia Breen reports
Cleveland Police says stamping out illegal off road biking is a key priority as they crushed thousands of pounds worth of quad bikes.
The vehicles, which were seized by officers, have been destroyed as part of a crackdown on illegal and anti-social riding.
Chief Constable Mark Webster said criminal use of the bikes will not be tolerated, after a number of complaints from local residents about nuisance riders.
He said: "We actually crushed 42 bikes last month. We do this quite regularly but what this shows is that it's a real concern for people in this area.
"It shows we listen to people and we wanted to demonstrate there's a real consequence to your actions if you're going to use bikes criminally."
A scheme is now being funded by Cleveland's Police and Crime Commissioner Steve Turner to educate people in the east Cleveland area about the law surrounding bikes.
He said: "We recognise that the behaviour of these individuals that ride bikes and quads like this is damaging to our communities. I hear it and it comes in my inbox all the time.
"The idea is to encourage them to get involved in bikes in a good way."
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