Antisocial driving seems to have plagued Sefton beaches, with a warning now being issued ahead of summer.
Last month saw police involved in a "Mexican standoff" with a scrambler bike rider on Crosby beach after a pursuit starting near Liverpool City Centre going up into Sefton before emergency services waited it out for the rider. Crowds gathered to watch and film the chaos unfold shortly after 7pm on Easter Monday as two police helicopters were seen circling overhead.
The biker was seen riding up and down the beach "doing wheelies" as officers and coastguard and rescue volunteers gathered, with the incident continuing into the evening. It came after police were called to reports of a group of men riding off-road bikes on Mariners Road, Liverpool. They spotted the bikes on Queens Road and arrested two men on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and assisting an offender.
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There have also been reports of illegal car meets along the Sefton coastline that encourage dangerous and anti-social driving.
And in July last year, there were reports a rider had fallen from a quad bike. First at the scene were beach lifeguards who administered "potentially life-saving first aid" to the 34-year-old man from Liverpool, police said.
Paramedics soon arrived and an air ambulance landed on the beach to assist with the man's treatment. Sefton Police said that despite the man being left with "potentially serious injuries" all but one of his friends abandoned him as police arrived.
Merseyside Police is now warning people about the dangers of antisocial driving on beaches in north Merseyside with a video being shared online of a car doing doughnuts on Southport beach, believed to be on Tuesday evening.
Community Policing Inspector Ray Mavrakakis said: “We know how frustrating anti-social driving on our beaches can be, both for our communities in Sefton and for the visitors who come to enjoy our beautiful coastline. That’s why we have attended reports of incidents, made arrests and seized off-road bikes when the community has been blighted by these issues and we will continue to do so.
"As we head into the summer months, when hopefully we will be seeing better weather, our officers will be out in force – on foot, in patrols cars, on quad bikes. Anyone driving anti-socially on our beaches in Sefton and elsewhere on Merseyside, should expect to be dealt with by police in a robust manner.
“Those who are looking to enjoy our open spaces sensibly and safely should not have to be confronted with anti-social behaviour of any kind, and I want to reassure those affected that we will work tirelessly to prevent such incidents from occurring so that your own enjoyment of the area is not spoiled by an ignorant minority.
“Furthermore, through our year-round Operation Brookdale, we work with partners from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS), the National Police Air Service (NPAS), local authorities, housing associations, schools and youth groups to target the anti-social and nuisance use of off-road bikes.
“Since Op Brookdale began in 2012, we have seen a year-on-year decrease in reports of anti-social behaviour and nuisance involving off-road motorbikes across Merseyside and we will make sure that work continues.
“Our best chance of removing anti-social use of off-road bikes is to know where bikes are being stored before they get out on our streets. I would appeal to anyone with information about illegal or nuisance scrambler bikes in their areas to get in touch with us and I can assure them that we will take action."
Anyone with information on the illegal and nuisance use of off-road bikes in their community is encouraged to contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 #OpBrookdale
