Blundering biker stuck in a bog

It took 90 minutes to free the 17-year-old, who had been off-road at the privately-owned tip site at Maltby Colliery with a pal when he lost control.

The bike ended up in a mud lake, known locally as “the lagoon.”

He ended up stuck too when he tried to retrieve it and his friend raised the alarm. Both boys had their bikes confiscated and now face court proceedings for driving on common land without authority.

Insp Richard Scholey said: “This youth is extremely lucky. The bog is deeper and wetter in the middle and had he ended up stuck in that patch of mud, this would have been a far more serious and dangerous incident.

“Wentworth Valley Safer Neighbourhood Team will not tolerate nuisance off-road bikers, who not only put themselves at risk, but whose actions can put other residents and members of the public in danger with their unlawful and anti-social behaviour.”

Cllr Jahangir Akhtar, Rotherham Borough Council’s Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, was glad to hear that the teenager was not injured.

But he added that the incident, which happened on Saturday, September 25, was a stark reminder of the issues of off-road motor-cycling, highlighting the dangers it poses to the riders themselves.

The borough council and police have worked together to combat nuisance riders, Cllr Akhtar said, because it destroys the environment and causes residents problems.

He added: “We both remain committed to stamping out anti-social behaviour.

The message is clear to those who engage in this illegal activity. “They will be caught and will be prevented from disrupting the lives of local residents.”

The highly unstable lagoon holds coal slurry and is on private land owned by Hargreaves.