29-year-old Steven Gardner from Parbrook Road, Huyton was sentenced to eight months imprisonment for dangerous driving, drug driving, driving a motor vehicle whilst disqualified and using a motor vehicle without insurance at Liverpool Crown Court, Wednesday 6th March 2019.

At around 6pm on Monday 10 September 2018, a man was sighted by Local Officers driving a quad bike dangerously in the Hillside and Page Moss areas which involved travelling the wrong way on a roundabout whilst racing through a residential housing estate. Gardner was seen to abandon the bike on Parbrook Road where he was detained by officers.

Gardner was also disqualified from driving for a period of 40 months as part of his sentence.

Chief Inspector Gary O’Rourke, who leads the force’s Operation Brookdale response to the criminal and nuisance use of off-road bikes, said: “The issue of off-road vehicles remains a priority for the force and whilst incidents are decreasing, it is pleasing to see that another dangerous rider has been dealt with by the courts.

“Gardner endangered himself and other road users in his community with his reckless actions in September, and we have seen on too many occasions people killed and seriously injured in similar ways.

"We have great success in tracking down people this way and taking them off the roads. My message to any offenders is this – if you ride in a dangerous way on our roads, we will do everything in our powers to identify you and put you before the courts.

“I also want to take this opportunity to ask that anyone who knows where these bikes are being stored and used to come forward. We regularly seize such vehicles and if we can do so before they are out causing harm in the communities, then all the better. All information can and is acted upon.”

Anyone with information on the anti-social and nuisance use of off-road bikes is encouraged to keep reporting incident to @MerPolCC, call 101 or @CrimestoppersUK on 0800 555 111 and we will take action.