Police stepping up patrols of Mansfield’s Desert

Police are stepping up patrols of a remote area of Mansfield that has been plagued by nuisance off road bikes and 4x4s.

The Desert is a large area of open space to the south of Eakring Road and has previously been popular with walkers.

In recent years, however, it has become a location known for the antisocial and dangerous use of motorcycles and off-road vehicles.

Local officers have now been trained in the use of new 4x4 vehicles which will allow them to patrol the area more often – an approach that is already having results.

Over the last six months the local neighbourhood team has seized more than 20 vehicles, issued a similar number of fines and handed out multiple Section 59 notices  - formal warnings that can later lead to the seizure of vehicles that have been used in an antisocial way.

PC George Twiddy, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“This is a vast and beautiful area that should be enjoyed by walkers and families. Instead, it is being plagued by the illegal and aggressive use of off road vehicles.

“These people are coming from all over the country to an area that they are simply not allowed to be in – so they all need to understand that if we catch them there we will take action.

“They are putting themselves and other people at risk of serious injury and this is simply not acceptable.

“And when injuries do happen people will find themselves a long way from help. This is a very remote area that would be extremely difficult to get an ambulance to.

“Some of the owners of these vehicles seem to believe that we can’t access and patrol this site for long periods of time, but this is simply not true.

“We have long had access to some off-road bikes of our own but now also have access to 4 x 4 vehicles with ANPR cameras and all the other things you’d expect of a police car.

“That is a game changer for us, and we are already seeing the results on the ground.”

The Desert is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) and is currently the subject of a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

The order – valid from 2022 to 2025 – bans riders from the area and grants council officers and the police the ability to fine or prosecute people if they are committing offences.

People riding or driving unlicensed an uninsured vehicles on nearby public roads on the their way to and from the site are also committing various other criminal offences.

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, said: 

“A comment we hear a lot is that we are spoiling people’s fun or even that we and others should provide somewhere for people to engage in that activity.

“I want to be clear that we are simply interested in enforcing the law, protecting the public from harm, responding to complaints from the public regarding the activity and ensuring the various restrictions in place to protect this area are respected.

"It is simply not acceptable for people to be sign this site in this way and we will continue to target them in the weeks and months ahead.”