FARMERS say they “live in hope” of a future without the illegal off-roading which has scarred their hills and killed their animals in collisions.

Lifelong sheep farmer Anthony Price, 73, and daughter Kerys Beese say the issue of off-road biking around Blaenavon started “a long time ago”.

“We’ve been threatened more than once,” said Mr Price. “At one stage, I was moving sheep back to my farm and a group of bikers tried to run over my sheep dog."

“Another time, when the weather was really atrocious, a biker drove up to me, threatened me and spun the bike around to cover me in mud."

Ms Beese added: “I won’t go out without my phone. It can be very intimidating when you’re just going about your daily job.”

The dangerous drivers leave a trail of destruction in their wake, cutting fences for access, leaving gates open to the road and fatally wounding sheep in collisions, say the pair, whom Gwent Police have provided with body cameras to wear at work.

“We live in hope but it’s ongoing,” said Ms Beese. “We’ve had meeting after meeting after meeting and it’s still happening. We just want to be able to do our jobs.”

'Scourge'

Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen councils have invested £122,000 in Gwent Police’s fight against off-road crime.

The force displayed its new equipment at Mynydd Llanhilleth on Friday morning, December 15, including a Land Rover, quad bike and drone which functions an eye in the sky.

The funding also assigns one PC and one PCSO to the upland area for 60 per cent of their working time.

South Wales Argus: Police showed off their new equipment

Torfaen County Borough Council is leading the project. Cllr Peter Jones, whose executive duties include community safety, said: “Residents have been worried about the environment but also the safety on the roads. Some of these bikes operate with impunity.”

As of December 6 this year, the force has seized 92 illegal off-road vehicles, including 13 quads and nine e-bikes, in the three areas that will benefit from this scheme.

"We need to know where these bikes are being used and stored so we can seize them and identify individuals who often show no regard for their fellow road users, neighbours or pedestrians,” said Supt Mike Richards, overseeing the project.

“The information the public provide plays an integral part in informing our investigations, helping us to remove these vehicles from our streets.

“This initiative is designed to complement Operation Harley, our established approach to combating the illegal use of off-road bikes in Gwent.”

Nick Smith, MP for Blaenau Gwent, praised the force, saying: “Whenever we have asked them to step up, they have done.

“Illegal off-roading is a scourge that causes devastating damage to the environment, disturbs livestock and wildlife and also intimidates farmers and walkers.

“The regional roundtable group I established to focus on this ongoing problem has heard many times how difficult it can be to police an issue that largely takes place on mountaintops.

“It's fantastic that this new equipment is in place to help officers quickly access those areas, identify those responsible and clamp down on illegal off-roading.”