PARENTS thinking of buying off-road bikes for their children this Christmas could see hundreds of hard-earned pounds end up in the police pound.

That's the warning from community safety chiefs, who plan to put the brakes on the misery caused by careless individuals using public and private land as their own personal race-track.

In the New Year, Greater Manchester Police's 'off-road motorcycle' wing will be working with police and council officers, and landowners, as they did earlier this year for 'Operation Flintstone'.

That action saw three 'off-roaders' arrested, one motorcycle taken away, and seven fixed penalty tickets and two court summonses issued

On behalf of the Wigan & Leigh Community Safety Partnership, Councillor Keith Cunliffe said: "In the run up to Christmas, many parents will be thinking of buying their children motorbikes or quad bikes for off-road use. Our message to them is 'it could be more expensive than you think', because the ultimate penalty for riding illegally on footpaths, bridle-ways, public open spaces and private land without the owner's permission is losing the bike, no matter how much you paid for it.

"And simply making sure your child has all the right safety gear and insurance doesn't make illegal off-road biking any more acceptable. Unless it takes place at an officially recognised club on private land where training is organised, off-road biking is not only illegal but is a nuisance and a danger to anybody out walking.

"The best advice we can give anyone thinking of buying their child a motor bike for Christmas is contact your local motorcycle club for advice about how your child can join in the sport legally. In the meantime, we will do everything in our power to make sure that illegal off-road bikers face the consequences."