BRADFORD South MP Judith Cummins has issued a fresh call for the Government to tackle the misery and disruption wrought by quad bikes.

Speaking in a debate on anti-social behaviour and off-road vehicles, the MP again called on the Government to enact legislation to fix the scourge of illegal off-road vehicles.

It’s an issue that is all too common on the streets of Bradford. T&A readers often get in touch to share their anger and frustration.

“The constant, loud, piercing drone of quad bikes is an all-too familiar sound in many of our towns and cities,” said Ms Cummins.

“While these vehicles have important legitimate uses in agriculture and related issues, their careless, reckless and unsafe use on our streets is a menace – and my constituents have had enough."

'Change is needed'

She urged the Government to enact three changes to the law: a legal compulsory fitting of immobilisers; the requirement of quad bike riders on public highways to wear helmets, and to create a registration system for all quad bikes to directly tackle the anti-social element of these vehicles in the wrong hands.

Ms Cummins added: “In Northern Ireland, wearing a helmet is compulsory for all quad users on public highways but this is not the case in the rest of the United Kingdom.

“The argument for this is self-evident: when the worst happens, the results are catastrophic.”

“The installation of immobilisers is not a legal requirement on quad bikes, despite being a requirement for all cars since 1998.

“The device provides an additional layer of security and by making immobilisers a requirement, we can make theft harder and reduce the number of quads getting onto our streets in the first place.

“We could also extend the registration scheme for licensed road-legal quads to cover all quad bikes, including those allowed for off-road use only.

“This establishes a clear line of ownership right from point-of-sale, which will help police in their enquiries when investigating reports and it means that once seized, stolen quads can be more easily returned to their rightful owner.”

She added: “We need to stop seeing these vehicles as toys. If we continue to let this type of vehicle slip through the cracks in current legislation, we fail to protect legitimate owners from needless theft, we fail to protect residents dealing with chronic noise, and we fail to protect all road users and pedestrians who remain at unnecessary risk.”