In the last few months Cleveland Police has crushed more than 50 off-road motorbikes that have been seized during a clampdown on illegal riders.

The force reacted to a series of dangerous events during the summer where scores of illegal bikes would regularly tear around the streets and housing estates of the area.

In some footage, shared widely on social media, dozens of bikers can be seen pulling wheelies and weaving in and out of traffic before surrounding a police vehicle responding to their behaviour.

As a result of the incident more than ten people have been arrested on suspicion of their role in the dangerous riding after the police released images of 26 people they were trying to trace.

Read more: Ten arrests and vehicles seized after yobs terrorised motorists and pedestrians

Chief Constable Mark Webster wanted to send a stark warning to offenders that their behaviour will result in their bikes being seized and crushed.

He said: “There has been a lot of work being carried out by officers following complaints from residents. They might not always see what is happening in the background but crushing these bikes in public shows we are taking the problem seriously.”

The Northern Echo: Chief Constable Mark Webster waiting for the seized bikes to be crushed.Chief Constable Mark Webster waiting for the seized bikes to be crushed. (Image: Stuart Boulton, Newsquest)

In a video, which was shared on Twitter and Facebook on Sunday, August 7, around 70 bikers could be seen riding over pavements, pulling wheelies, and revving their engines as they drove next to a police car with its blue lights on.

The Northern Echo:

The sharing of the footage comes after numerous complaints over the weekend, which saw concerned residents in Middlesbrough and Redcar complain about the ‘never ending’ issue of the off-road bikers, which includes the motorists driving over pavements, pulling wheelies, and flouting road laws.

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Chief Inspector John Hagen added: “We are looking to get the message across that this sort of behaviour will not be tolerated.

“There is stuff going on that the public may not see but we want to reassure them that the information that they pass to us will be used.

“We need people to continue telling us where these bikes are being stored and who the people are who are causing so much misery for people in the area.”