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Officers given new powers to tackle nuisance bikers in London Road, Wrotham

00:00, 21 May 2014

updated: 17:46, 21 May 2014

A zero tolerance cloak will cover a village for the summer months in a bid to tackle nuisance bikers.

Kent Police and Tonbridge and Malling council have worked together to make Wrotham a dispersal area.

The order, which will run until October, means officers have the power to separate a group of two of more people found causing, or are likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress, in any public place along the A20 London Road.

The move comes after a series of complaints from households about loud noise. In the summer months, police were called to numerous reports of motorcyclists gathering in large groups, driving dangerously and performing stunts.

Sgt Ashley Boxall of Kent Police said: “The manner in which some of these motorcyclists ride puts themselves in danger as well as other road users and we now have an order in place that means we can move people on. Those who do not comply with the order risk strong penalties.”

The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 allows patrols to escort home a young person aged under 16, if they are stopped between 8pm and 6am, and are not accompanied by a responsible adult.

Failure to comply can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 and a potential three-month prison sentence.

The dispersal zone stretches from M26 slip road to the roundabout junction of the A227 and Bull Lane. It will cease to apply on Wednesday, October 8.

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