Welford Incidents

• Burglary Residential. Headland Road. Patio door to house smashed and entry gained. Untidy search of house made. Items stolen being listed for police. Between 31^st October and 3^rd November. 0241 03/11/2017
• Burglary Residential. Chapel Street. Unsecure garden room of house entered and an empty safe stolen. Between 12 Midnight and 5am on Friday 3^rd November. 0114 03/11/2017

Police advice on anti-social use of motor vehicles –

The police have wide ranging powers to deal with people who use their vehicles in an anti-social manner. Apart from prosecuting offenders for motoring offences that could lead to being disqualified from

driving, the police can also rely on a power to seize motor vehicles using Sec 59 of the Police Reform Act 2002. The keeper of the vehicle will be liable to recovery/storage costs when they eventually get the vehicle back. This law applies to vehicles driven

carelessly or without reasonable consideration on roads – and that includes car parks and other public areas – in a manner likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public. Sec 59 also covers any such use of a motor vehicle off-road, such as common land, moorland, bridlepaths, footpaths, tracks and fields. An official complaint does not even have to be received by the police for them to enforce the law

Section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it an offence to drive any vehicle on ‘any common land, moorland or land of any other description, not being land forming part of a road, or any road being a footpath, bridleway or restricted byway’ apart from some exceptions like to save a life! If a vehicle is used in this way, the police can seize it immediately or they may serve a notice to the owner and driver/rider. The notice warns all concerned that if the vehicle is used again in that way by anyone, on that occasion, it will seized. It also warns the offending driver that if they drive or ride in the same way during the next year, the vehicle they are using may be seized – whoever it belongs to. The law doesn’t cater for a second warning.

How to stay on the right side – of the law. It’s easy – just use your vehicle responsibly. Keep your driving safe at all times and don’t bow to peer pressure and be tempted to mess about with the vehicle when driving or on car parks. Sec 59 was written in law to stop anti-social use of motor vehicles. Effectively the law is there to stop inappropriate use of vehicles that annoy the public or place people at risk. It also stops offenders who disrupt the quality of life of others at homes nearby or when conducting their leisure activities (such as horse-riding or rambling). If you use a motorcross bike for off road scrambling – only do it on land with permission of the land owner and always walk or trailer the bike there, don’t ride on footpaths or bridleways.