Pendle police warn about dangers of off-road bikes after elderly man dies in Burnley collision

Constable Matt Lunney says antisocial riding of off-road bikes without a license or insurance has significantly increased in Brierfield and Nelson over the past 18 months. By law, you can only ride an off-road motorbike on private land and with the land-owner's permission.

His warning follows two serious incidents in Burnley within two days last month when riders collided with pedestrians, the first injuring a 13-year-old girl and the second killing an elderly man. Bart O’Hare (86) died from his injuries in hospital earlier this month following a collision in Accrington Road.

"It’s clearly tragic. Nobody sets out to ride such a vehicle and end somebody’s life but it shows the possibility is there and nobody wants that. That’s why we need to make sure we get hold of these people. We will put them before the courts or speak to them face-to-face with their parents, tell them the risks they run, what the consequences could be, and ask them, ‘Is it worth the risk’? Also, we can send them for a course on driving standards.”

Constable Lunney says the public report the anti-social use of off-road bikes, but the offenders can be difficult for the police to catch.

“The problem is when they ring the cops up, by the time we get there, they have gone. They can get where we can’t. As soon as they see a cop car, they have gone. We need to think smart and outside-the-box to stop this.

"We also have a duty of care. We can’t knock them off their bikes. We have to be careful. It’s about making sure they’re safe and the public is safe.”

The police carry out education and enforcement work with young people to highlight the risks of dangerous driving like speeding or failing to wear a seatbelt. Officers can put the offenders before the courts where they could lose their license or gain points on it. The courts can even put points on a “ghost license” that will transfer over to an official license when the offender qualifies.

If anyone has any information about those who own or ride off-road bikes, please contact PC Matt on 07816 214 612 or [email protected]