Yesterday I continued my campaign against anti-social behaviour on motorised scooters and quad bikes in Methil and the Wemyss villages. I visited a farmer in East Wemyss to inspect the damage to his land caused by the use of such bikes.
Previously I have raised concerns in the Scottish Parliament after being contacted by constituents. I have seen a significant increase in the number of complaints made to me in recent weeks regarding the use of anti-social behaviour and quad bikes.
I’ve raised the issues with the Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs during General Questions shortly before Christmas (you can read about it here) and I am due to meet with the Minister next week.
It is becoming clear that the inappropriate use of these vehicles is a real menace to locals, which is why I am determined to help get local voices heard and support the police in tackling this problem.
The police, through Operation Ducati, are making efforts to clamp down on those using their bikes inappropriately but we must ensure that they have all the tools in their box to deal with them.
That is why I asked the Minister if his Government is open to strengthening fixed penalty notices to ensure we can effectively deal with such problems and tackle antisocial behaviour.
I look forward to meeting the Minister in Parliament next week to discuss this issue in more detail and I would urge anyone else that has been affected by such behaviour to get in touch.