I WOULD like to respond to the letter from Nick Renshaw, of Lostock Gralam, regarding illegal use of off-road motorcycles.

It is a problem that we take very seriously and throughout Vale Royal we have a number of ongoing operations directly targeting this particular issue.

These operations have resulted in the seizure of vehicles, the launch of prosecutions against offenders and warnings to people who flout the law.

Our actions are, of course, confined by the parameters of the law and solutions that are considered quick and effective, like immediately seizing property, cannot always be pursued as they breach legislation and guidelines we must work within.

This does not mean that the problem is ignored and I would like to reassure Mr Renshaw that we are continually striving to provide solutions that are long-term, legal and effective.

It is important to point out that much of this work goes on behind the scenes and people are not always aware of the full extent of our activities when tackling these types of issues.

Many people think nothing is being done because they don't see officers racing to the scene every time there's an off-road bike tearing about.

We need to prioritise and deploy our resources intelligently in order to ensure that we free up officers who can respond quickly to real emergencies. Then we can release officers to local policing teams to deal with the types of issues highlighted by Mr Renshaw.

Quite frankly, if we rushed around merely responding to each incident we would not achieve any long-term solutions. We want to identify and deal with the cause of problems rather than constantly responding to the effects of them.

I urge members of the public to work with us and become part of these solutions by keeping their eyes and ears open and providing our Community Action Teams with as much detail as possible about nuisance motorcyclists, to help us target our resources in the right place at the right time, which means we can be much more effective.

Finally, Mr Renshaw alludes to an example of a vehicle being driven without tax and insurance.

I would like to make an important distinction in answering his question.

Any person driving a vehicle on a public road in such a manner would be liable to a range of penalties and sanctions. The legislation that involves a formal warning is generally used when motorcycles are being ridden off road.

CHIEF INSP PAUL McHUGH

Cheshire Constabulary, Western area