A teenage boy who rode a quad bike the wrong way into oncoming traffic is “lucky to be alive”, police have said.
Footage of the youngster’s antics was released by Merseyside Police as part of a clampdown on the dangerous and anti-social use of off-road bikes in the region.
Sixteen people were arrested and 28 off-road bikes were recovered as officers carried out early-morning raids today at a number of addresses.
As part of the campaign, police issued CCTV of the teenage boy on his quad bike in Liverpool city centre.
He was arrested and it led to him being banned from driving for 12 months and being given a youth rehabilitation order and a curfew.
Chief Superintendent Jonathan Roy said: “He is, though, lucky to be alive and the case clearly highlights the risks for the entire community when off-road bikes are ridden in this way.
“Today’s action is all about responding to the concerns of communities across Merseyside and targeting those people who we believe have been using scrambler bikes in a dangerous or anti-social way.
“We know that many people are plagued by the problem of off-road vehicles and actually find them incredibly intimidating.
“When they are ridden dangerously, they pose a huge risk, not only to the safety of the rider but also to pedestrians and other law-abiding road users.
“We know that there are still scramblers, quads and other vehicles out there which are being ridden dangerously or anti-socially, and I hope today shows that when we have information, we will act on it to tackle the problem.”
He added: “I would appeal to people across Merseyside to carry on calling us if they know where nuisance bikes are being stored or they have information about the people who are using them.”
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said: “Residents, farmers and businesses have raised with me many times their concerns about the illegal and anti-social use of scrambler and quad bikes.
“These nuisance bikes can blight communities and present a real danger to members of the public. Sadly, we have recently seen the devastating consequences of using these bikes.
“I welcome this crackdown by Merseyside Police. It demonstrates their commitment to taking action, removing these vehicles from our roads and footpaths and tackling this problem.”