Police officers should be able to seize nuisance off-road bikes from riders’ homes, a Labour MP has urged.
Luke Akehurst tabled the Off-road Bikes (Police Powers) Bill on Tuesday, amid calls for a crackdown on motorbikes ridden through parks and on pavements.
He told the Commons: “I know members across the House will be starkly aware of the menace of off-road bikes being driven in a dangerous or anti-social way, whether it’s through parks, on pavements or in other public spaces, causing not just a nuisance but in some cases damage and injuries.
“I am seeking to introduce this Bill following conversations I have had with local police in my constituency of North Durham who have told me that there is a loophole in existing legislation around their power to seize these off-road vehicles.”
Police officers already have powers to enter most premises including private garages to seize motor vehicles “used in manner causing alarm, distress or annoyance” or driven without insurance, but this does not extend private houses.
Mr Akehurst said his Bill would seek to amend previously agreed laws to “give police powers to enter a private dwelling for the purpose of seizing an off-road bike that has been driven in an anti-social way or without insurance”, including the electric motorbikes which he said anti-social riders use in rural parts of his constituency.
He added: “Of course, I recognise that entering a premises particularly a private dwelling is an intrusive power and must be subject to rigorous legal safeguards and used proportionately, but while finding the right balance will be challenging, I do not believe that it is insurmountable.”
The Bill will be listed for debate on March 7 next year.
In a separate move, the Government previously vowed to “crack down on the scourge of off-road bikes in public parks, dangerous e-scooters on pavements, street racing, all of which inflict misery on local communities”.
In a statement last month, policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said as part of the forthcoming Crime and Policing Bill, officers will no longer have to issue a warning before seizing vehicles involved in anti-social behaviour.
