Police have said they will "take no messing" when it comes to off-road motorbikes on local mountains.

North Wales Police (NWP) said they have been taking an active approach in dealing with trail bikes being used on rural mountain areas, which often include Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI protected sites), or land farmers use for grazing.

Sgt Mavis Evans said: "We have been doing a lot of work with the countryside wardens about tackling this problem."

This week, policing teams on patrol in the area have been keeping their eyes peeled for any off-road bike owners exploiting the vast open countryside space to practice their biking skills.

Sgt Evans said: "It is a common problem, especially in the Halkyn Mountain area. Normally, because it is such a large area we do not normally catch bikers or vehicle details."

But on one occasion last weekend, a local policing team tracked the owner of a local vehicle which was responsible for bringing the bikes to the Rhosesmor area.

Sgt Evans said: "Local residents have been spoken to and they have provided witness statements and the owner of the vehicle will be served a Section 59 notice for their anti-social driving.

"If the driver is stopped again within 12 months then the vehicle can be seized.

"We will continue to take the issue seriously and we want to put the message out there that we will not take any messing come summer time when the biking activity is very popular."

Sgt Geraint Richards, South Flintshire policing team, said the matter could be actively dealt with if witnesses take down registration numbers and immediately report it to North Wales Police.

He said: "People should not just complain - they should phone 101 as and when the incident is occurring, and should not hesitate in giving North Wales Police a call in relation to what they see."

Residents are especially concerned about the effect of off-road bikes on naturally valuable land, as well as the impact the engine noises have on ewes as lambing season approaches.