Off-piste driving

So the titles got your attention, has it? Well, read on……


I would like to share an experience with you that I had last Saturday.


I was out with Paul D on his local lanes. Just the two of us. WE DID NOT GO OFF-PISTE AT ANY TIME. Let’s make that clear from the outset, and I have video to prove it, having my Blackvue running all day.


Imagine my surprise - read PANIC - which I had when a letter from Nottinghamshire Police arrived through the post on Wednesday saying that I had been reported as going off-piste and if it happened again my vehicle would be seized. The police letter was more eloquent than the above, but that was the meaning it conferred.


Conversations with the Police, over the next two days, explained the letter and why it had been sent.



The letter has been very carefully worded as to read as above, but on closer inspection, when the panic had subsided, I realised the letter was only a warning about off-piste driving. The Police admitted the wording of the letter was ‘pushing the boundaries’ and worded this way deliberately.


The locals are so fed up with vehicles driving down the river or through the woods on this particular lane that they are reporting actual AND POSSIBLE cases. I received the letter as I had been reported as driving along the lane with a muddy vehicle, therefore MAY have been off-piste. Strangely Paul did not receive a letter. Maybe his grey landy does not show mud as clearly as my red landy! Last Saturday was thunder and lightening rain; no wonder the landy was muddy.


The locals are taking the registrations of ‘likely’ vehicles, and using cameras to capture actual incidents, passing the information onto the Police who are then taking the appropriate action. On the Saturday, not seen by us, a 4x4 (not a landy I might add), was photographed driving down the river and the owner has now been sent a Section 59 notice - in layman’s terms a seizure notice.


You may have noticed I haven’t said where this lane is, and indeed you may want its location. I’ve not put it above deliberately, in the hope that you’ll continue reading the thread. This could happen anywhere. I hope this serves as enlightenment to those of us who do not drive off-piste, and as a warning to those who do.


The lane in question is at SK669743 to SK672753. It’s a UCR with a nice ford at the end. For those who can’t read a map or can’t be bothered to do so, , you can view it at http://www.streetmap.co.uk This link will take you straight to it. The ford can be seen on Wetroads under Nottinghamshire then Crookford.
I will bring the actual letter, and video footage, to our next garage meeting. See here for the garage party thread[FONT=&quot] http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f16/regular-garage-meeting-place-259009.html[/FONT]


ps This is an afterthought.



We all moan about peeps going off-piste and closing our lanes. We want to continue to enjoy our hobby.


After my initial panic, frustration, anger etc of being targeted unwarrantably, I’ve come to see this as a positive move by the police and the local community. Sick of a nuisance in their neighborhood, the locals have decided to do something about it. They can’t rely on a police officer being stationed 24/7 on the lane, so when they’re out walking the dog etc, if they see anything that is OR MIGHT BE antisocial, they report it. They pay for the local police through their council tax and work with them in an effort to make their community a nicer place. Imagine, for instance, if it was something like fly-tipping in your locality…………


By the way, I have the blessing of the police officer I’ve been dealing with to go public with this incident. They want to get the message across that off-roading in a public place is unacceptable. They would prefer to educate pro-actively rather than prosecute re-actively. It’s a better use of their time and money.



I know that everyone won’t necessarily agree with my view:feel free to argue amongst yourselves :fencing:


I trust that my experience has enlightened you and I hope you have fun when you are next out – legally of course.



David (minus Sally who had a lie in on Saturday). Trust her to miss all the fun……

Thanks for that post, it's worried me that random people will report me making up stories of going off piste or so where I shouldn't be, I'm really thinking about installing cameras to prove the route if anything did happen.

Unfortunately there are 4x4 drivers who ruin it for everybody and give us a bad name.

On the other hand there are people who have no life and want to cause misery for others, it really ****es me off, especially a minority of other lane users (walkers) all you can do is be polite, careful and considerate, and do not loose your temper with them, at the end of the day as long as your enjoying it and keeping within the law, why worry about the antis?

Very scary though bet you were crapping your self for a bit! I would be!

Gotta remember that the police do need proof of you being off-piste to seize your vehicle, although when you receive a letter like mine that tends to slip your mind for a while! I use a Blackview camera all the time now.

Nice post dave, i think its a good thing that the locals are taking the steps to stop the off piste theres no place for it while out laning, but also as said above i hope they dont get too trigger happy and report just anyone because they want the lane shut. I think cameras have got to be the way forward in proving that in such cases like yours you have backup to show if things ever went further and also for our enjoyment in watching too

Cheers Pete

Have to say, when David called me about the letter he'd received he did sound almost panicked! I wasn't 'cos I never got a letter!!!

However, I also knew we were legal and all was good, but we couldn't work out how anyone could possibly have seen us off-piste, simply 'cos we hadn't gone off-piste. As many people know, I'd be the first to admit it if I had, I have little care for many systems, but like David has said (in this case) this appears a positive move by the police and locals, and I agree.

When you see where ####wits have driven, and what they've done, then I am all for extra policing and section 59's ... we're losing lanes all over and this persistent abuse of an 'easy' entry to a river and forest/wooded area, is really not a good thing for anyone. This isn't a Pay 'n Play area, it's a Byway ...

On another quick off topic note exhaust is also much better!

i would have had a heart attack i think! :faint2:

Agree though, this is a good idea and as long as no one gets wrongly accused or prosecuted then this can only help with the preservation of lanes.

Were these the photos that you chaps posted the other day?

Yes, Paul posted a few photos somewhere......

Yup .. lovely lanes, nice and steady, barely even needed diff lock at all ..

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f13/laning-north-notts-lincs-258732.html

Might be worth a couple of people meeting with the locals nearby and seeing if any collaboration could be setup among legitimate users and locals to police the lanes in that area to prevent off piste stuff

flat said:

Might be worth a couple of people meeting with the locals nearby and seeing if any collaboration could be setup among legitimate users and locals to police the lanes in that area to prevent off piste stuff

Click to expand...

+1 We really need to build bridges wherever we can and show we shouldn't all be tarred with the same brush

flat said:

Might be worth a couple of people meeting with the locals nearby and seeing if any collaboration could be setup among legitimate users and locals to police the lanes in that area to prevent off piste stuff

Click to expand...

Must say I agree with this. If the locals see that there are 4x4 drivers who are driving responsibly and are prepared to do their bit to ensure others stick within the law its got to build bridges.

Oh and don't go of piste.

If I was nearer I would do it, but I am way down on the south coast!