Man arrested and three bikes seized after pursuit along canal towpath in Wigan

A man in his 20s was arrested on suspicion of disqualified driving after leading officers on a chase along the Manchester Ship Canal on Saturday 31 August 2024.

Three bikes were also recovered as work continues to clamp down on anti-social behaviour (ASB) on motorbikes, e-bikes and quadbikes.

While patrolling the skies of Wigan, the National Police Air Service (NPAS) spotted a group of riders driving anti-socially down a canal towpath.

Once they spotted NPAS they changed direction looking to avoid the helicopter’s CCTV camera, driving dangerously and just managing to avoid members of the public.

Along the towpath an officer carrying a stinger successfully managed to deploy it, stinging the wheels of a motorbike, leaving the suspect no choice but to abandon it close to the canal before being picked up by another ride behind him.

NPAS continued to track the riders to a remote location, giving out their location to officers on the ground who caught up with them and apprehended one of the riders.

He was arrested and later bailed.

Over the last two weeks, Wigan officers have seized eight bikes and two quadbikes, with two of the bikes and one of the quadbikes being confirmed as stolen. 

Since the operation to tackle and reduce ASB on motorbikes, e-bikes and quadbikes was launched in the district, it has seen 38 seizures and 11 arrests in total.

Sergeant Dan Canavan from our Wigan district said: “Since the start of the operation in June of this year, we have continued in our efforts to deal with riders who are committing anti-social behaviour in our area.

“I know for a lot of residents this has been an area concern for a long time, and I am now delighted to be able to let them see an insight into how much time and resource has gone into dealing with these problem riders.

“While some people may use off-road bikes in the way they were intended, others use them to ruin parks, playing fields and flagrantly violate traffic laws – the latter which we saw first-hand again on Saturday – and this is exactly what this operation is intending to prevent.

“Our work does not end here; we will continue to pursue those who think they are above the law and we will do everything we possibly can do to prevent this problem going back to how it was in years gone by.”