Moment reckless rider tells police 'it was just a bit of fun' after leading officers on chase through residential streets on his illegal off-road bike

Published: 09:00 BST, 6 October 2026 | Updated: 09:00 BST, 6 October 2026

This is the dramatic moment police intercepted a motorcyclist who took them on a lengthy chase by riding the wrong way - before he told them it was 'just a bit of fun'.

The man was eventually apprehended on his illegal off-road bike by a team of officers who caught up with him on a road in the Abbey Hulton area of Stoke-on-Trent.

Footage filmed from Staffordshire Police patrol cars, bodycam and a helicopter showed the rider being bundled to the ground by officers then handcuffed.

An exclusive clip was shared with the Daily Mail today before featuring in tonight's episode of Channel 5 documentary 'Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders'.

It begins with police pursuing the rider of the bike after he fails to stop, before he goes on the wrong side of a dual carriageway heading towards oncoming traffic.

An officer says he has initially abandoned the pursuit because it is deemed too high risk, but then colleagues in a helicopter get sight of the rider on a road heading east.

The rider soon drives along a public footpath before travelling straight past a marked police vehicle – with the officers working together to corner him on the road.

One officer shouts 'yeah we've got him, got him, got him' before the man is told to put his hands behind his back and other police vehicles arrive to provide backup.

The footage begins with officers chasing the off-road biker down a street in Stoke-on-Trent

The motorcyclist takes police officers on a lengthy chase by riding dangerously along roads

The rider eventually goes past a marked police car as the officers work together to stop him

An officer then informs the rider: 'You're detained under section one of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act - that's because you failed to stop for officers.'

But the man replies: 'You know what, it was just a bit of fun. I'd like to know how six police cars appear in one area.'

An officer tells him: 'Because it's a joint operation mate, that's why we're here, because we're getting complaints from the community.'

But the man replies: 'If there was something round here for the community to actually go and ride, there wouldn't be any of this.'

An officer then says: 'But the problem you've got is, alright, if it's in a public place, you need a licence and you need insurance, because that's what the law says.'

The officer orders the man to get into his police car, and tells him: 'You're playing a silly game, you're failing to stop for the police and you're committing crimes.

'People round here in this area are fed up with it. Because we've already had one road death up here in the last couple of weeks, haven't we, a lad, 17-year-old lad.'

The rider says he knew the boy, and the officer says: 'It could have been you today.' 

The man is eventually apprehended on his illegal off-road bike by a team of officers

A clip shows the rider being bundled to the ground by police officers then handcuffed

A helicopter provides aerial footage of the arrest following the pursuit by Staffordshire Police

He continues: 'You're riding a bike that isn't road legal, so you've got no insurance on that bike. You've failed to stop for police and you've driven dangerously the wrong way down a road.

'I think it was a moment of madness you had, going the wrong way. So what do you think I should do with you then?'

The man says: 'Let me go?'

But the officer replies: 'Haha, I can't let you go, that's not an answer. What I'm going to do is report you for due care, I'm going to bring that in to the fact you failed to stop for me.

'I always try to deal with people fairly if I can, alright? I'll come round and let you out then.'

As the man walks away with his helmet, the officer says: 'I think he's probably a bit remorseful now. Life's about making choices, he's made his today and he's got to live by the consequences. 

'The vehicle's going to get seized and probably crushed into a little box. Onto the next one, I suppose.'

The man was summoned to court after being charged with driving without a licence, driving without insurance and driving without due care and attention.

Motorway Cops: Catching Britain's Speeders airs on Channel 5 tonight at 8pm