YOUNG off-road motorcyclists in Darlington could be encouraged to change their nuisance behaviour with the promise of a safe and supervised place to ride.

Firthmoor Community Safety Partnership hopes to develop a scheme to encourage young riders to use a biking centre at Howden Clough, in West Yorkshire.

But the opportunity for the teenagers to travel to the centre will only be open to those riders who remain on the right side of the law.

At a partnership meeting yesterday, PC Andy Gore said: "We want to make it like a reward. We will take them somewhere they can ride bikes legally every four to six weeks, for example."

But PC Gore said youngsters who got themselves into trouble between the trips would not be permitted to use the facility.

Partnership members hope the idea will give local youths an incentive to stop riding their motorbikes illegally on open land in the area.

The initiative is just one of a number of ways that the police and community groups are considering to crack down on the number of off-road bikers causing a nuisance.

The problem has been a growing concern over recent years, with riders increasingly putting themselves and others at risk of serious injury.

Last year, the police made an appeal in The Northern Echo for the public to help them catch off-road bikers.

Detectives released photographs of bikers they wanted to question.

Since the photographs appeared in the newspaper, PC Gore said that almost all the youngsters had come forward to speak to officers.

He said that he would like to do the same thing this year, naming and shaming any off-road biker who does not take heed of the warning.

Another initiative being suggested to help resolve the problem is the holding of educational workshops at schools and colleges in Darlington.