Two riders will have to pay out nearly £2,000 - including a fine for breaching Covid rules - for racing off-road motorbikes on fields in south Warwickshire

Two riders will have to pay out nearly £2,000 - including a fine for breaching Covid rules - for racing off-road motorbikes on fields in south Warwickshire.

The offenders, who have not been named, were caught by police near Napton back in November after officers received reports of anti-social behaviour.

And this month, they have appeared in court.

Having previously worked with Southam Police to deal with this problem, the Warwickshire Rural Crime Team (WRCT) were quickly able to locate the riders.

A spokesperson for the WRCT said: "After making enquires with the riders it transpired that neither of the bikes were taxed, MOTed or insured and the riders didn't have the appropriate driving licences to ride that category of motorcycle.

"As such, the bikes were seized and the riders reported for multiple offences.

"After examination, it was discovered the Kawasaki (green) bike identification numbers had been removed and fake numbers stamped over the top. This suggests it might have previously been stolen.

"Although the rider of the Kawasaki had purchased the bike in good faith, he had failed to conduct the appropriate checks to ensure he wasn't buying someone else's stolen property."

This month, Warwickshire Magistrates Court endorsed their driving licenses with seven points each and fined a total of £1,995, including court costs and a breach of COVID regulations fine.

The Kawasaki bike was sent for destruction after the true identity could not be verified.

The Yamaha bike was eventually sold at auction with the proceeds being used to cover the costs of recovery and storage of the vehicle.

"Since this incident I'm happy to say the number of reports to police of off-road bikes at the location has significantly reduced, however we are aware the location is still in use from time to time," said the WRCT spokesperson.