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Two police officers are to be sent to work as part of a council team to target illegal off-road vehicles in the Gwent Valleys. 

Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly borough councils will provide nearly £120,000 over two years to Gwent Police, which will base a police constable and a police community support officer with Torfaen to work alongside council officers in tackling off-roading. 

Monthly action days are planned to target scramblers and other off-road vehicles with drones potentially being used.

Providing police officers with their own scramblers is also being considered. 

The police officer and PCSO will be seconded to Torfaen Borough Council until March 31, 2025, and will co-ordinate and undertake investigations and enforcement activity in relation to illegal off-roading across the three boroughs which share borders. 

A report for Torfaen council said Gwent’s Labour Police and Crime Commissioner, Jeff Cuthbert, has claimed police couldn’t fund specialist equipment to assist in tackling illegal off-roading,

The report also said it is recognised the force “could not deliver such a focused, time-consuming project without external funding”. 

The councils are using money from the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund to pay for the two officers. The fund replaces European Union cash and work to preserve the uplands of South East Wales was previously provided for from EU and Welsh Government funds. 

Torfaen council has approved a service level agreement with the force for the secondment of the two patr-time officers.

Torfaen will put in £65,136 for the project, though that will be discounted to take account of time lost with the project having officially started in August, while Blaenau Gwent and Caerphilly will each contribute £30,000 over the two years. 

A £20,000 capital budget is also available to buy key equipment and signage so people know where off-roading isn’t allowed and enforcement action takes place. 

Gwent Police has secured and will fund a dedicated 4×4 vehicle for the duration of the secondments and the plan will also consider how the project should end and assess how effective it has been.