POLICE chiefs have vowed to continue their crackdown on dangerous and illegal scrambler bikes across St Helens despite their dedicated campaign coming to an end.

Officers from Merseyside Police are hailing another successful summer crackdown on scrambler bikes and off-road bikes, with 176 seized and a total of 59 people arrested as part of this year’s Operation Brookdale.

The campaign, which has been running since the start of July, is dedicated to putting the brakes on people who use off-road bikes in an illegal, dangerous or anti-social way.

This week saw more than 40 seized vehicles scrapped at a recycling plant in Skelmersdale, with even more crushing set to take place over the coming days.

Many of the bikes had been stolen from their rightful owners and used in serious and organised crime, while others were ridden recklessly by teenagers.

Superintendent Jenny Sims, who led the operation, told the Star: “We are delighted with the success of this year’s operation. 176 bikes which are believed to have been stolen or used anti-socially have been taken off the roads and Merseyside is undoubtedly a safer place as a result.

"The number of bikes seized during this year's operation should mean that our communities are subjected to less incidents like this one in the future and I also hope it makes people who use off road bikes illegally or anti-socially think very carefully about their behaviour."

Operation Brookdale included high visibility police patrols, the use of information from the community to target known hot-spots, education in schools and visits by officers and PCSTOs to petrol stations.

Supt Sims said: “I’d like to thank members of the public for giving us that information. We’ve done something with it and today is the result of that action, working with partners to take these dangerous bikes off the streets of Merseyside.

“Some of these bikes have gone back to their owners, some of the really good bikes we will sell for charitable purposes and some of them will go to charitable institutions where they can be used legally.”

Despite the crackdown, some families are still being terrorised by teenage gangs racing around their streets on scooters and scrambler bikes, but police say they will continue targeting such people in the hope of ending their reign of terror.

Supt Sims said: “Despite the success of Operation Brookdale, we are not complacent. We know that many communities continue to be blighted by scrambler bikes being ridden dangerously and I want to reassure people that although Operation Brookdale may have finished for this year, our work targeting scrambler bikes definitely isn’t over.

"We will continue to be out on patrol and to take action whenever the community tells us there are problems.  I would appeal to anyone with information about illegal or nuisance scrambler bikes in their areas to get in touch with us and I can assure them that we will take action.

“These bikes at the end of the day kill and cause serious injury and we will not tolerate this on the streets of Merseyside. We will continue to work with partners and we will continue to work with the public to keep our streets safe”

Anyone with information should call the police via the 101 number or dial 999 in the event of an emergency or if there is a crime in progress.

People can also pass information to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.