A DRAMATIC video showing seized motorbikes being crushed into tiny pieces aims to send out a warning to nuisance riders in the Bradford district.

Police - who set up a 'Quad Squad' two months ago to crack down on dangerous motorbike and quad riders - have released footage to get the message across that confiscated vehicles will be destroyed.

The video shows police chasing young men on bikes and stopping them. It then films the bikes at a crushing plant as they are scrapped.

Bradford Police's Anti-Social Behaviour Bike Team has now seized almost 80 bikes and quads since it began operating.

Vehicles that are not claimed by their owners are taken to a dismantling site and sorted into categories – salvage or scrap.

Those to be scrapped are readied for crushing and dropped into a large hydraulic compacting machine which reduces the bikes into a small cube of scrap metal and plastic.

These are put through another machine that sorts the metal and plastic. Another machine chews up wiring looms from the vehicles to produce plastic which is suitable for the spongy surface of children’s play areas.

The bikes that are not scrapped are sold on.

The Bike Team is exploring opportunities to donate some of the bikes to charities that work with young people who ride off road legitimately.

PC David Hitchcocks, of the Bike Team, said: “Hopefully, this video should serve as a warning to those who make their neighbours' lives a misery with noise nuisance or put their own enjoyment before the safety of other road users.

"It doesn’t matter if your vehicle is worth £50 or £3,000 - it will still end up as a cube of scrap metal if it is suspected of being used irresponsibly."

There have now been a total of 77 bikes seized. Police have made 18 arrests, including for theft of vehicles, as well as public disorder, and possessing drugs with intent to supply.

They have issued about 60 Section 59 final warnings, allowing them to seize bikes if a further nuisance is committed.

Officers have also issued 53 yellow letters, warning about the threat of an anti-social behaviour order; seven Acceptable Behaviour Contracts; and one red final warning letter. Five Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are now being applied for.

Housing group Incommunities has had 23 referrals about tenants, and are seeking injunctions against eight of them to remove them from their homes. Manningham Housing Association has received three referrals.

Sergeant Jonathan Best, who leads the Eccleshill-based team, said: "The team is grateful for the information it has received, which has helped it to make an impact against nuisance riders in Bradford and make the summer months more peaceful for residents.

"We will continue to tackle nuisance riders across the district, and we urge people to keep reporting incidents and any details of the bikes which are being used to the police.

"We will also continue to work closely with our partners and use all available legislation, to make sure that those committing offences are prosecuted and dealt with positively."

Councillor Imran Hussain, deputy leader of Bradford Council, and in charge of Safer Communities, said: "We are sending out a very clear message to those people who are putting themselves at risk and the public at risk.

"This is more than causing a nuisance and anti-social behaviour - they are endangering lives.

"I have no issue with people who ride these machines off road in a law-abiding and safe way as a perfectly normal hobby. But riding down busy streets, in the middle of the road, recklessly and at speed, is a matter of public safety.

"We have shown by our actions that the police and ourselves take this issue very seriously, and we want to get the message across that if you do not ride these machines in an appropriate and legitimate way, they will be taken away and crushed."