Off-roaders now banned from 'The Desert' in Mansfield after council decision

A ban on using off-road vehicles and motorcycles in an area of Mansfield know as The Desert was unanimously approved.
By Shelley Marriott
Published 21st Sep 2022, 15:04 BST
Updated 21st Sep 2022, 16:57 BST
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The renewal of Mansfield District Council’s Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was recommended for approval at Mansfield District Full Council meeting by Coun Marion Bradshaw, portfolio holder for Safer Communities, Housing and Wellbeing, following her delegated decision earlier this month.

The new order, valid from 2022 to 2025, grants council officers and the police the ability to fine or prosecute people if they are committing several wide-reaching offences.

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These include drinking alcohol or begging in public places, failing to clear up dog fouling, and cycling through pedestrianised areas in the town centre at certain times.

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There is now a ban on using off-road vehicles and motorcycles on publicly accessible land in the area known locally as 'The Desert'There is now a ban on using off-road vehicles and motorcycles on publicly accessible land in the area known locally as 'The Desert'
There is now a ban on using off-road vehicles and motorcycles on publicly accessible land in the area known locally as 'The Desert'

It also allows groups to be dispersed if they are causing (or are likely to cause) nuisance, alarm, harassment or distress to any other person in the town centre.

Coun Bradshaw said: “The behaviour of off-roaders at The Desert has been raised by residents as a cause for concern for some time, and the landowners and police are fully supportive of the council's proposals in the new PSPO.

“We are working with Newark and Sherwood District Council, who are responsible for part of the land, to see if we can take a united approach on tackling the off-roader problem.

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“As well as being an obvious danger to people on foot, these vehicles also cause much danger and disturbance to the wildlife in the area. Now, with the approval of this order, it can be given a chance to flourish.”

The Desert is a sandy patch of land near the Oak Tree Lane Estate.

Inspector Kylie Davies, Nottinghamshire Police district commander for Mansfield, 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.

“Our off road team will maintain a regular presence in the area in the coming weeks and months to enforce the law and gather evidence against those who continue to ride illegally.”

Anyone who fails to meet the requirements of the order could receive a £100 fixed penalty notice or be prosecuted.