The crackdown in and around Wellingborough, named Operation Ragged, was launched to target the dangerous and anti-social riding of motorcycles, which is a constant source of nuisance for people across the town.

The first two weeks of the summer-long operation have seen Wellingborough Police take a pro-active stance, beginning with the sending of letters to 50 people who have been found riding anti-socially in the past warning them that the police will be looking out for them.

Police have also visited every secondary school in the area to speak to young people about motorcycle nuisance.

Sylvia Rainer, 63, lives in Robin Lane on the Hemmingwell estate, which has been affected by the problem, and she said she had noticed an improvement.

Mrs Rainer said: "It has got a bit quieter. It is not so bad at the moment, but there is still someone riding up and down behind our house.
"Well done to the police if they are doing something, but the holidays are coming up so we don't know what it's going to be like then."

Sergeant Nick Lyall, who is leading the operation, said he was pleased with the results so far.

He said: "We know that motorcycle nuisance is a huge concern to people across this area, and we will be keeping up the pressure throughout the summer to try to reduce the number of complaints and deter and arrest people who cause this problem."

Much of Operation Ragged has focused on Croyland Park, a problem hotspot, but at the start of August the attention will shift to rural areas around Wellingborough.

Twenty-two of the 50 warning letters sent out at the start of the campaign went to people from rural areas.

Sgt Lyall said: "I hope people will continue to ring in with information about where motorcycle nuisance is taking place, who is riding the bikes and where they are being kept. We can use this information and act on it later to deal with the people involved.