A POLICE bike squad is putting the brakes on anti-social riding after taking 300 vehicles off the streets.

The Bradford district anti-social behaviour bike team has now attended 955 incidents of anti-social behaviour involving vehicles since it was formed 15 months ago.

The team is made up of four officers, split into pairs, based at Eccleshill police station, and has had a "huge impact" on nuisance vehicle use across Bradford.

There have been 417 section 59 warnings issued to riders and their vehicles for anti-social riding. These allow officers to seize vehicles if they are seen being ridden in a similar manner again within 12 months.

Officers have now submitted 97 files for traffic offences and travelled around 25,000 miles in the course of their duties, covering an area of 143 square miles.

Officers have even made time to carry out animal rescues, of a swan and a hedgehog.

One of the team, PC Dave Hitchcocks, said the majority of vehicles the team dealt with were motorcycles or quad bikes, but they were also handling calls about cars and vans which had contravened the rules of the road.

And he urged members of the public to take photo or video footage of offenders, where they could.

"There are times where we can review the footage and look at taking action against the driver. There have been occasions where we have had prosecutions after people have sent footage in," said PC Hitchcocks.

He said the team can identify culprits from footage taken, showing their bikes, clothing or helmets.

He said the team probably received double the number of calls they were physically able to deal with and encouraged the public not to wait before ringing them to report anti-social riding.

"The most important thing is to contact the police at the earliest point you are experiencing a nuisance bike issue. Don't sit and let it ruin an afternoon or evening, let us know straight away," said PC Hitchcocks.

Last month, the bike team released dramatic CCTV images of a group of off road and quad bikers which were reported as being driven dangerously across Bradford, leading to near misses with other motorists.

The bikers, caught on film on roads and at petrol stations, had often been seen riding in convoy on roads around Bradford and Shipley, putting the public at risk.

The riders were filmed from the police helicopter after reports that other motorists were being forced to take avoiding action, with several near misses.

The gang often rides through Bierley, Holme Wood, Sticker Lane, Barkerend, Killinghall Road, Harrogate Road, Shipley Airedale Road, and as far as Shipley and Baildon. They are believed to live in Bierley, Holme Wood and Shipley.

PC Hitchcocks said the team had positive lines of inquiry following the T&A appeal.

He added: "It has had a positive impact and made them realise they can't get away with it. They were riding around having a laugh, but only a couple of the bikes were road legal. We don't mind people riding in convoy, as long as they abide by the rules of the road, and it has got to be done safely."

In May, a quad biker was seriously injured in a crash with a car in Heaton, and the previous month the team seized a dangerous bike with defective brakes and engine faults which was being ridden on pavements in Wyke.

The team was formed on July 1, 2014, and in its first year it reduced the number of anti-social behaviour incidents with vehicles by 22 per cent.

Hot spots include estates such as Holme Wood, Bierley and Ravenscliffe, while Flappit quarry and large wooded areas and parks are also a magnet for vehicle abusers.

Owners of vehicles seized have to pay to retrieve them. If they are not claimed they are crushed.

PC Hitchcocks said that in the early days of the team their presence was a shock to the system for regular offenders, who appreciated the advice officers gave them.

But he added: "We are now up against the out and out, deliberate, hard core element. They don't look for chases - but if they see the police, they won't stop."

He said that, although it was not prevalent, some people rode bikes with small children perched on the handle bars, risking them being injured.

But the team's duties can have their lighter moments. One officer stopped to usher a swan away from the road to a place of safety. And PC Hitchcocks carried out his own animal rescue.

"I was riding up Harrogate Road on my way to a call when I saw a hedgehog waddling across the road. It doubled back and then turned back into the road. There were lots of cars, so I pulled up, put my red warning lights on and scooped up the hedgehog and took him to a safe hedgerow. It got lots of views on Facebook and I even got a letter of thanks, all the way from Italy, addressed to 'the police officer who saved the hedgehog.'"

Anyone who sees anti-social riding should contact the bike team immediately via 101, or ring 999 if there is a genuine risk of injury.