Oxfordshire farmers’ crops have been continually damaged by off-road bikes, leading to police action.

Thames Valley Police issued a public warning on Tuesday evening detailing the problems about off-road bikes being ridden around Banbury and on surrounding farmland.

Officers have been speaking to farmers in the area who have been affected by this and had crops damaged as a result.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We are encouraging the public to report incidents to us and we will take action where we are able to do so.

“We have been speaking with local farmers whose crops are being damaged from this activity.

“Whilst some may view this as a social activity for those involved it is causing considerable cost implications and that is not to mention the many driving offences and anti-social behaviour being committed."

Officers will give the farmers signs to use in an attempt to help combat the problem while they have also warned offenders that will be proactive in dealing with them.

“We are providing farmers with signage that they can put up on their property and this has the details of the information required to ensure we have an accurate pinpoint of the location where the riders are,” added the spokesperson.

“We also welcome any information of those who continue to ignore these warnings and any evidence we can gather will be used to ensure offenders are dealt with.”