Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says off-road bikers blighting open spaces in North Staffordshire are a 'total nightmare'.

Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams raised the issue in the House of Commons on Monday, saying that Kidsgrove Ladsandads regularly had to deal with bikers churning up their football pitches at Birchenwood playing fields.

The problem at Birchenwood has been continuing for years, with football matches sometimes having to be postponed, and other open spaces in North Staffordshire have also been similarly affected.

Ms Cooper agreed that it is an important issue, and said the government would be giving police stronger powers to seize bikes used for anti-social behaviour.

Mr Williams said: "Mark Porter is a community leader who runs Kidsgrove Ladsandads. Around 400 young people play football at Birchenwood fields every weekend, but their football pitches are constantly damaged by off-road bikes.

"The same happens at Burslem golf course, and also across estates like Mill Hill in Tunstall.

"So can the Home Secretary outline what steps will be taken to tackle the impact of off-road bikes in our communities in Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove."

Ms Cooper said the increased police powers in relation to off-road bikes would be part of the government's Crime and Policing Bill, which will be introduced on Tuesday.

She said: "Some of these off-road bikes are a total nightmare. They drive communities up the wall, it's harassment, and the intimidation that they can also cause.

"That is why we're strengthening the powers, because at the moment, the police have to provide repeat warning before they can take action to seize these bikes.

"We think they should be able to seize these anti-social bikes straight away."

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