AN ever-present aspect of life is the scourge of off-road bikers and, if anything, it’s quite possibly a bigger problem than it’s ever been – there’s just no let-up in the number of incidents we hear of.

Uninsured, unlicensed, tracksuit-wearing hoodlums racing around on roads, churning up fields and causing utter chaos in communities spans the entirety of the borough.

People are rightly sick to the back teeth of it; the noise, the woeful riding standards and the damage they cause are all sources of misery for normal, law-abiding residents.

I remember covering stories from parish councils and police meetings in my early days at the Chronicle and it was a huge problem in places such as Cudworth and Grimethorpe – councillors were at their wit’s end as they pleaded, time and time again, for the police to get tough on the yobs.

Their calls fell on listening ears but you could kind of sense the police’s feeling of being powerless; cracking down on other forms of antisocial behaviour was child’s play compared to conquering the off-roaders.

I’ve personally had near-misses whilst driving with idiots riding in the dark, weaving in and out of traffic, wearing no helmet and having no lights on, so everyone’s surely on the same page with this.

It’s been a tough nut to crack for officers and while they do receive criticism for a perceived lack of action, what they face is a nigh-on impossible job in this case: they simply cannot engage in chases because it puts the scallies at risk. I know… utterly ludicrous, so they’re just allowed to go on their way.

They can’t really engage in a pursuit because if the chav falls off, South Yorkshire Police will no doubt face a huge lawsuit and the compensation will be exorbitant.

The Chronicle revealed last week that each of Barnsley’s six neighbourhood policing teams have booked in action days with the force’s dedicated off-road unit, which is no doubt a positive step forward, but is it really enough?

I don’t think it is. Sure, their visible presence might be a welcome addition, but as I’ve said, they’re effectively searching for a needle in a haystack and they cannot give chase if the rider decides to chance his arm.

However, what is key in the ongoing battle is something called the Police Reform Act and in particular a heading known as ‘Section 59’.

This handy little tool can be used to carry out evictions if it’s deemed necessary and the offences are either regular or serious enough.

It might seem harsh, and obviously the rider will have to be a tenant, but losing the roof over your head must surely be deemed as a deterrent to even those whose intellect is questionable to say the very least.

The ripping up of tenancy agreements has been raised for as far back as I can remember by police officers at district meetings known as PACTs – but only as idle threats – so I don’t think it’s too controversial to say that those impacted by the never-ending loutish behaviour will not fight the corners of those who continue to think it’s acceptable to continue.

What’s needed is firm action: use Section 59 as a line-in-the-sand threat as before, but then use it as catalyst for complete change, at long last.

So, what can you do to help?

I think the key thing for people is to keep a low-key eye out, simply; don’t engage, don’t respond to them if they think you’re looking out, but jot down incidents, along with times, dates and more importantly locations – those details are essential for your local police teams.

You can report any information which the police see as relevant – all of these things will help Barnsley’s very good policing teams to finally build a proper picture of who’s responsible and where they live.

Do your bit and help rid Barnsley of the seemingly never-ending plague of off-road bike idiocy.