Police seize 4x4 vehicle in off-road driving crackdown

A MODIFIED Land Rover 4x4 was seized by West Yorkshire Police officers near Holmfirth after reports of nuisance and antisocial off-road driving.

The Kirklees Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Roads Policing Unit joined forces to clamp down on vehicles at Scaly Gate and Brownhill Lane in Holmfirth.

The driver appears to be the first to fall foul of new Kirklees Council rules banning off-road driving at four locations in rural Holme Valley. Officers seized the vehicle, which has been modified for extreme off-roading, and the driver reported for driving offences.

Police have not revealed the exact nature of the offence.

Despite complaints from walkers and landowners, so called ‘green laning,’ where drivers tackle rural rights of way, is not illegal. But motorists can still be stopped by police if the nature of their driving is deemed to be unsuitable.

Last month ExaminerLive revealed a crackdown on antisocial behaviour on rural roads popular with off-road “green laners” was to begin.

Kirklees Council said it would introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) at Yateholme in Holmbridge near Holmfirth, which would create a restricted area for four-wheeled vehicles.

Any unauthorised drivers could face a fine of up to £1,000.

Farmers have told of being blockaded on their own land, of being frightened to walk or ride horses on surrounding lanes and of pregnant livestock being so terrified by speeding vehicles that they have aborted their young.

Some residents even claim they have been driven at by vehicles to force them off popular routes.

The PSPO will affect:

Part of Brownhill Lane – at the access to the car park at Ramsden Reservoir

Ramsden Road – 140m north-west of the junction with White Gate Road

Rake Head Road, Holme Moss – 15m east of the junction with the A6024 Woodhead Road

Old Gate, Holme Moss – 13m northeast of the junction with the A6024 Woodhead Road