The operation involved the helicopter to direct officers on specially-built trail bikes and in accompanying patrol cars to the location of illegal riders.

The police targeted Dogsthorpe Star Pits for the first time, and Eye nature reserve, near Peterborough, to catch illegal riders red-handed.

The crackdown follows calls from frightened dog-walkers and families, who have experienced near-misses with yobs speeding past them.

The pits and reserve are a haven for wildlife, attracting children from schools all around Peteborough.

Today, officers spelt out the danger they could be facing.

Pc Lloyd Groves said: “The potential for a child to be hit by a bike is high.

“There are a lot of blind corners and with the gravel on the paths, these bikes are not going to stop in time.

“The riders also know that what they are doing is against the law, so the chance of a hit and run is also high.”

The clampdown achieved immediate results, with four riders being caught.

Pc Groves said: “The people we have stopped have been children aged under 10, accompanied by an adult.

“We have told them that if they are caught again the bikes will be seized and destroyed.

Trail bike rider Pc Robert Stewart said the police had heard lots of stories from parents claiming they did not know the riding was illegal.

He said: “They believe they can ride them anywhere, but you can’t.

“You need to be on private land and have the permission of the landowner, which clearly has not been given here.”

The latest operation follows hot on the heels of last month’s report in the Evening Telegraph that, since April, police have managed to seize and crush 20 mini-motos and motorbikes being driven illegally in the city and arrest the drivers.”