POLICE cautioned 49 drivers after they were caught using off-road vehicles illegally on Gwent mountains yesterday.

More than 20 officers, including four on off-road motorbikes, took part in a huge operation to tackle illegal off-road drivers.

Operation Cassowary took place around the Blackwood area in some of Gwent's most scenic countryside - land that is being torn apart by people on scrambler and quad bikes.

The operation was led by Inspector Simon Powell-Jones, of Risca police, and Inspector Mike Fleming, of Blackwood police.

Insp Powell-Jones said: "We get a significant number of complaints from residents, especially in the more isolated areas, that they are being plagued by large groups of irresponsible motorcyclists using the tops of the mountains.

"They are tearing up the earth and causing a lot of environmental damage. Not only is it illegal to ride on common land, but a lot of the vehicles are unroadworthy.

"We want to get the message out to people that we are clamping down on this."

The operation was a partnership between police, Caerphilly council, the For-estry Commission and the Community Safety Partner-ship, with Home Office funding.

On mountains above Wyllie, already heavily scarred by off-road bikes, officers intercepted two vehicles each carrying two scrambler bikes on trailers.

The drivers were issued with Section 59 notices, a caution warning that what they were doing was illegal, and asked to leave the area.

Later on Manmoel Com-mon PC Wayne Roberts, crime and disorder reduction officer for Blackwood, stopped three men in their twenties riding illegally, one on a quad bike and two on scramblers.

They claimed they did not know they were acting illegally, despite nearby signs pointing out the law.

PC Roberts said: "We don't want to spoil anyone's enjoyment. If they want to ride legally they can join clubs and do it safely, without affecting anyone else's quality of life.

"We have had people calling up, saying they have seen 50 to 60 bikes tearing up the mountain."

Insp Powell-Jones said the operation was a huge success, and said police will continue to monitor the situation.