Crackdown on unruly cyclists

THE emergency services ready to crack down on trouble at Dovestone

RENEGADE cyclists are bringing problems to a memorial forest at a favourite Saddleworth beauty spot dogged by vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

And this weekend a high profile crackdown will take place at Dovestone, Greenfield, when a multi-agency team will meet visitors.

Police will be using WhatsApp to send secure encrypted short messages sharing vital information simultaneously with their partners.

The app will be used in conjunction with traditional email and mobile phones to bring all the services together to galvanise a very effective partnership.

The operation was originally scheduled last week but torrential rain kept visitors away from the area.

Officers from Greater Manchester Police will team up with partner agencies to tackle seasonal issues at Dovestone, with concentrated efforts highlighting litter and drunken youths.

But the issue with a small number of uncaring cyclists has been highlighted by 'Life for a Life', a charity which gives people an opportunity to celebrate or commemorate loved ones by planting memorial trees and installing memorial benches in one of 30 woodland locations across the United Kingdom.

Spokesman Philip Kersh, said the mountain biking fraternity cause issues across the whole national park and to a small degree in one area of memorial woodland.

"The operational organisations work hard to stop them building jumps and digging up the land, " said Mr Kersh. "We have removed tools they have hidden.

"No one wants to stop mountain biking or cycling if it is done responsibly and respectfully.

"There is a cycling code of conduct which states riders must respect trails and not create new ones or to damage existing trails or the natural environment.

"We speak to all the riders and tell them the dos and don'ts but some listen and some do not.

"I have spent evenings at Dovestone trying to stop riders doing things they should not and a few names have been passed on to me of local riders who have been known to be building these jumps.

"These few cyclists build the jumps not realising they are leaving a hazard for other users behind, either for walkers who cannot see them speeding down hills, or just making trails impassable because of the soil erosion they create.

"The other worry is the size of these jumps are sometime only manageable by experienced riders with the right kit.

"But increasingly young people are coming to have a go and are unprepared in both experience and capability."

He added: "Everyone is free to come and enjoy Dovestone and the park but they do need to think about their actions."

PC Lee Cullen, Saddleworth South Neighbourhood officer, who is helping drive the initiative, said: "It's the partnership's intention to educate visitors on barbecue bans and encouraging them to take their litter with them as opposed to leaving the much loved beauty spot resembling an open tip."