Off road bike seized by police on Oxenhope moorlands

Officers working on Operation Steerside saw a "bright light" on Oxenhope's moorland over the weekend. 

West Yorkshire Police headed up to the area and detained the rider.

The rider has been reported for a number of offences.

During patrols of the moorland in Oxenhope @WYP_Shipley at the weekend we sighted a bright light. No, it wasn't Santa & his reindeer or the Angel Gabriel but an off road bike. Without the powers of flight, the rider was detained. Bike seized and rider reported. #opsteerside pic.twitter.com/QxXpgVGiBE

— Steerside Enforcement Team (@WYP_Steerside) December 19, 2023

What is the law for off road bikes?

Off-road bikes can be used on private land, with the landowner’s permission.

The Road Traffic Act 1988 includes provisions that make it illegal to drive a mechanically propelled vehicle on land where permission has not been given.

The Road Traffic Act 1988 (section 34) says: "It is illegal to drive or ride a mechanically propelled vehicle without lawful authority on common land, moorland or land not forming part of a road, or on any road which is a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway."

What is Operation Steerside?

West Yorkshire Police’s Steerside Enforcement team works across Bradford district, deploying officers seven days a week in cars and on bikes. 

Operation Steerside was launched in 2016 specifically to tackle dangerous and anti-social driving in Bradford and evolved two years later into a multi-agency partnership to work proactively on illegal use of the roads.