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Nuisance bikers have been banned from a popular beauty spot on the edge of Sherwood Forest.

Off-road riders now face fines of £100 or prosecution if they are caught riding at The Desert near Mansfield.

Police can now also disperse groups gathering there and seize their motorbikes.

Mansfield District Council Ìýrenewed and expanded an existing Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) this week to include the sandy area off Eakring Road, near Forest Town.

Police said it had become a location known for the anti-social and dangerous use of motorcycles.

Mansfield district police commander Insp Kylie Davies said: “People who drive and ride off-road vehicles illegally in our parks and other green spaces are not only a nuisance, they are also a considerable danger to other members of the public and to themselves.

“There are many things we already do to tackle this selfish and anti-social behaviour, including seizing bikes when people are behaving in an anti-social way.

“This new protection order will make it easier for us to do this by giving us the power to order riders away from the area – regardless of how they are behaving. If people don’t comply then we will seize their bikes."

He said the force's off-road team will maintain a regular presence in the area in the coming weeks and months to enforce the law.

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