POLICE officers campaigning to put the brake on the illegal use of off-road and quad bikes are encouraging youngsters to support them.

A neighbourhood policing operation is under way in the Chester-le-Street area in the runup to Christmas, to urge parents not to buy the machines for their children.

Those riding illegally face having their bikes confiscated and destroyed.

Police community support officers (PCSOs) Gareth Judd and Mark Lumsden, who are co-ordinating the operation, are urging local schools to take part in a poster competition.

The aim is to produce an eyecatching design to make people think twice about buying such bikes as Christmas presents.

PCSO Judd said: "We hope to get more than a dozen schools to take part.

"This competition is open to pupils of all ages, and the winner will get a trip to police headquarters where they will visit the bike section and have a go on the skid pan with a police driving instructor."

Entries will be collected in time for the winning poster to be printed and displayed in shops, offices and public buildings throughout the area from the beginning of next month.

PCSO Judd said: "Despite all the warnings that have been made in the past, parents continue to buy these machines when there is nowhere they can be used.

"It is illegal for them to be ridden in parks or on playing fields, on grass verges or footpaths. The only way riders can go off-road legally is on private land, with the full permission of the land owner."

To use a road, footpath or bridleway, riders must be 16 to have a provisional moped licence, and 17 to get an equivalent licence for a motorcycle.

They also have to have insurance, tax, protective headgear and an MoT certificate if their bike is more than three years old.

Breaching the regulations means those caught will be issued with a formal warning notice.

If that is ignored, and they are caught again, their machine will be seized.

PCSO Judd said: "The poster competition is a way of letting children know the law. By educating them, we hope to educate their parents. Our message to the people of Chester-le-Street is simple - don't buy them and don't use them."