Near-death of biker in slurry pit

SERIOUS concerns have been raised about illegal off-road motorcycling after it emerged that one teenager was almost killed after he strayed into a colliery slurry pit.

Police and council bosses issued a stark warning after revealing a large-scale alert had been needed to save the 17-year-old biker who got stuck in the treacherous mud.

Rotherham Council said a “huge amount of resources” were required for the operation, including three fire crews, an ambulance and several teams of police officers.

Local authority officials also had to commandeer a tractor to pull the youth and his machine out of the waste slurry which is pumped out as part of the mining process.

The mud lake, which is extremely unstable, is known to residents as The Lagoon, and is set on private land owned by the operators of Maltby Colliery, near Rotherham.

Police said the trapped youth, who lives in the village, was with a friend when the incident happened.

He lost control of the bike, which ended up in the mud lake, but then got stuck himself when he tried to get it out. His friend was forced to raise the alarm.

After the rescue, both youths had their bikes confiscated.

They were subsequently interviewed by police and now face court proceedings for driving on common land without authority.

Coun Jahangir Akhtar, Rotherham Council’s Cabinet member for safe and attractive neighbourhoods said he was glad that the young man involved was rescued without injury.

But he pointed out that the incident “starkly illustrated” the issues of off-road motorcycling as well as the dangers it poses to the riders themselves. Coun Akhtar added: “This particular incident could have gone either way and it is a credit to all involved that it did not end in disaster.

“But it does show the problem posed to local landowners and employers as work on the tip had to be halted.

“It also demonstrates the financial and time-consuming effort that had to be deployed by the emergency services to extricate this young man, who is lucky to be alive.

“Rotherham Council and South Yorkshire Police have worked together over many years to prevent this kind of activity across the borough which destroys the local environment and is a huge problem for local residents.

“We both remain committed to stamping out what is anti-social behaviour. The message is clear to those who engage in this illegal activity – they will be caught and will be prevented from disrupting the lives of local residents.”

Three years ago another huge rescue effort was sparked at the Maltby slurry pit after a sheep escaped from a field in a nearby village and became stranded in the mud.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue were called out after a passer by noticed the sheep and had to use special inflatable mats to bring the animal to safety without sinking.

Inspector Richard Scholey from South Yorkshire Police, added: “This youth is extremely lucky. The bog is deeper and wetter in the middle and had he ended up stuck in that patch of mud, this would have been a far more serious and dangerous incident.

“Police in South Yorkshire will not tolerate nuisance off-road bikers, who not only put themselves at risk, but whose actions can put other residents and members of the public in danger with their unlawful and anti-social behaviour.”

Insp Scholey said anyone experiencing problems with nuisance bikers should contact their local Safer Neighbourhood Team or police on 0114 220 2020. Information on which team covers which area is available by visiting www.southyorks.police.uk and entering a postcode.