Anti-social behavoir warning

Sparks flew this week as police demonstrated what can happen to motorbike riders who persist in using their machines in an anti-social way on local roads.

The Fakenham and Wells safer neighbourhood teams reacted when people made repeated complaints about the way in which a powerful Kawasaki Z550 motorbike was being ridden on roads between the two towns.

It was completing continuous laps of the roads, the engine revving, and the rider was wearing no helmet, they said.

The machine was later discovered - minus its rider - on the Wells road and seized by police.

Inquiries revealed that the bike had false plates, was not insured and was registered as being off-road. Police could not trace the owner.

On Tuesday, the machine came to a sorry end when it was cut up, using hydraulic equipment, at Fakenham Recovery Centre, on the town's industrial estate.

Police officer Andy Johnston said the destruction of the machine was designed to send out a message that police would not tolerate anti-social behaviour by riders and annoyance and upset caused to the public.

“We want to make it clear that, if motorbike riders persist in this sort of behaviour, this is how their machines could end up - being seized and cut up into pieces,” he said.

“This initiative was a joint effort between Fakenham and Wells safer neighbourhood teams and showed clearly that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated and that, if we can take action against the people responsible, then we will”.

During the past year, Fakenham's safer neighbourhood team has joined forces with community groups to make it clear

that anti-social behaviour, criminal activities and road-related offences will not be

allowed to go on.

Today, the Fakenham team is staging an Open Day at the town youth centre in Cattle Market Street between 10am and 1pm.

Any issues that people want to raise can be discussed with members of the team.