AN OFF-ROAD bike was seized in Lochgelly on Sunday and the driver will be reported for Road Traffic Offences.

This comes after a number of youngsters have been using Lochgelly Park as an "unofficial race track" for their off-road motor vehicles.

Lochgelly Park Action Group was set up two years ago by local residents.

The group's  Paul McGowan claimed residents were "fed up with the lack of action taken by Fife Council and Police Scotland to resolve the continual ongoing anti-social behaviour by the youngsters, some as young as ten years old".

He added: “Youth disorder, vandalism, drinking, smashed glass, bin theft and fires, intimidation of residents and the public and now dangerous motor vehicle use have been going on far too long in the park.

READ MORE: Cowdenbeath card business announces closure on Facebook

“Elected councillors tell us the park is for everyone, but not everyone is welcome in the park on certain nights. 

“The community council and newly reformed Park Improvement Group appear more interested in asking the kids what they want rather than listening to the nearby residents, who for a long time have wanted the disgrace of the metal youth shelter to be taken away.”

Off-road bikes are not just an issue in Lochgelly. As previously reported in the Dunfermline Press, dirt bikes have been present across Fife including in Oakley, Inverkeithing, and Dalgety Bay.

Paul added: “The youngsters themselves do not fully understand that a road traffic offence as a teenager will be detrimental to their driving licence when they try to get car insurance at 17. 

“Parents may not know but they can also be charged, if they were present during the incident.

“Some parents do not understand the dangerous nature of these vehicles and in the way they are being driven around our streets and parks unsupervised, uninsured, and without any protective clothing. 

“The fear is that children, or others, may be seriously hurt or a fatal incident may happen to them or others.”

READ MORE: Mindfulness session coming to Cowdenbeath Library in August

The group supports calls for more activities for young people to be supported by Fife Council and welcomes more financial backing to Kingdom Offroad Motorcycle Club.  

The club engages with young people and gives them the opportunity to go to a proper race track and learn preventative maintenance for safety.

Police Scotland Cowdenbeath posted on X: “Following reports of anti-social use of motorbikes in the Cowdenbeath area our officers have been carrying out patrols.

“PC Harmes traced a youth with a bike this evening in Lochgelly and the youth will be reported for Road Traffic offences.”