EVERY summer we get the same problems of yobs riding around the area south of Blackbird Leys on mini-motorbikes.

The police go out, issue warnings about riding “antisocially” and seize a few machines.

It is depressingly predictable. And, given the pattern of repetition each summer, effectively futile.

Councils and the police like to trumpet about how they work with their “partner agencies”.

Well it is time for something proactive, rather than reactive, to sort out this problem once and for all.

This may be public land, but it comes under the ownership of Oxford City Council. Why are the police and the council not working together to ban these machines from the site?

That wouldn’t automatically wipe away the problem – but it is a step further than the current set-up.

The seizure system of these motorcycles can be written off by some as simple revenue gathering.

A yob may get his bike seized but if he (or she) stumps up enough cash it is handed back.

It’s a mild deterrent and certainly not a solution.

And it is a solution the neighbours of that area deserve.