HAMPSHIRE police are taking a firm line with young moped riders who flout the law and risk their lives and others’ by using modified machines.

Five scooter-style ’peds were seized in a spot check at Eastleigh, bringing a release fee of £150 plus £10 per day storage from midday the day after seizure. All were promptly paid up for release.

There will have been additional costs incurred for remedial work to revert performance modifications to standard and replace bald tyres. But it could have been much harder.

Hampshire Bikesafe coordinator PC Mick Gear said: “There could have been penalty points and fines too but these would have fallen on the parents and hopefully the education option will prove more beneficial all round.”

Formal conviction with licence penalties could well have brought disqualification and made insurance prohibitively expensive for years.

The action follows a higher than average number of young riders on small capacity powered two-wheelers being involved in collisions across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

To reduce casualty numbers and educate young riders about the risks of derestricting their mopeds, Hampshire Constabulary and the Safer Roads Partnership are carrying out a series of operations across the two counties.

The Eastleigh swoop was a joint operation with Dan Golding from Totton Roads Policing Unit leading, working with VOSA, the Safer Neighbourhoods team at Eastleigh and Safer Roads Partnership.

The point about the performance enhancements, with removal of a restrictor plate and altering the exhaust, is that the bikes cease to be a moped and become a small motorcycle.

The legal definition of a moped is that it is under 50cc engine capacity and limited to a maximum of 31mph – one of the bikes checked showed 44mph on the portable dynamometer, a mini ‘rolling road’. This means the machines are instantly seized because the riders do not have the appropriate licence or insurance.

PC Gear said: “On top of these charges for no insurance could be a fixed penalty fine of £200 and six points endorsed, while for driving other than in accordance with a licence it’s three points and £60.

“Tyres carry another three points and £60 for being below legal tread, because the machine has been turned into a small motorcycle, and as it is 50 per cent of the wheels available this means immediate prohibition, which means that it will have to get trailered away and presented for a full MoT.

“In addition, one bike had no brake fluid in the rear system at all, which could be construed as dangerous condition, and the front brakes on this one had less than 1.5mm of pad wear left. If it went to court and succesful prosecution it would bring 12 months’ disqualification at least.”