Moped seized after driving through fields in Newark, near Grange Road

A moped driving across fields in Newark was seized by Nottinghamshire Police officers over the weekend as part of Operation Jericho, an ongoing initiative tackling vehicle crime in rural areas.

Officers spotted the illegal vehicle driving near Grange Road at around 4.50pm on Saturday, April 12, and quickly moved to intercept the moped.

Officers stopped a 15-year-old boy in connection with the incident, who has since been questioned in connection with road traffic offences.

Inspector Steven Wragg, of Nottinghamshire Police said: "The use of these bikes and mopeds causes anti-social issues and damage to land. Some are stolen and in some cases riders are uninsured or don’t have licenses.

"Aside from being dangerous, they can cause misery within communities and is one of the issues that residents have told us causes them the greatest concern.

"For most of the time these vehicles will be used illegally and people may not realise this.

"Bikes can only be ridden on private land with the landowner's permission. This would include waste land which is owned by someone.

"We hope this sends out a clear message that once we’ve identified offenders we will utilise all of our powers to take action which could ultimately end up with their bikes being crushed.

"We need more members of the public to help us reduce nuisance off-road biking by reporting incidents to us. If anyone has any information about people using off-road vehicles then please call us on 101."