A CAMPAIGN has been launched by Gwent Police in an attempt to tackle illegal off-road riding in the area.

The force will use popular social media platforms to get the message across with a week of informative updates on the issue of illegal off-road biking across Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen.

From tomorrow, Gwent Police will be sharing facts and details about off-road bikes on its Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages, including what the laws are, what the impacts can be, where our issues lie and what the police are doing about it.

Chief Inspector Nick McClain, who is leading on the project, said: “We want to raise awareness throughout Gwent and educate the public about the issue. Our social media platforms are an excellent way of communicating to the public.

“We now have over 100,000 followers to our social media sites, with some of our posts reaching to millions of users. Our followers are important to us, they help us share our messages as well as provide feedback and conversation – it’s a great two way communications tool for us.

“Whilst officers are not out to spoil people’s fun, especially those that do ride legally and abide by the laws, we want to remind users that these sorts of vehicles can cause alarm and distress to residents particularly when driven through residential areas.

"Illegal off-roading can also cause damage to the countryside and riders are also putting themselves and members of the public at risk of injury when they are using off-road bikes in inappropriate areas.

"We also want to educate the public about what they can do to help us – we see in a lot of cases the public are not actually sure if someone is riding illegally in their area and how they can report it.”

The public will also have the opportunity to talk live to Landscapes Officers PC Simon James, who will be available for a question and answer session on the Gwent Police Twitter page from 7pm until 8pm on Thursday, May 28.