Tyre-ing investigation leads police to unexpected outcome

Concerned people in Grimsby flagged up newly appeared tyre tracks thought to have been from moped riders or as a result of anti-social behaviour, but police found there was no cause for alarm.

The tyre tracks appeared in the St James Square area, prompting Humberside Police to complete what they described as a proactive and thorough investigation with support from the local authority and CCTV footage.

It was determined that the tyre marks were from a council street cleaning vehicle, but police said they will take reports of this nature seriously.

Chief Inspector Paul French said: “We understand the impact anti-social behaviour can have on our communities and why they were concerned that these marks in a newly regenerated outdoor space could have been from the minority that abuse areas like this.

“Thankfully on this occasion, that was not the case, but we hope that the action taken by our officers demonstrates the level of seriousness we take reports of this nature.

“Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated and with the help of our partner agencies, we work tirelessly together to take action.

“We hope people are enjoying this space, but we want this to serve as a warning to those intending on behaving anti-socially that we are being proactive in our approach and you can expect to be challenged and dealt with accordingly.

A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council said: “After checking CCTV footage from the area, we can confirm that the marks were not made by moped riders or anyone else behaving anti-socially. There was never any suggestion from us that this was the case.

“This is newly laid paving in a high-footfall area and over time marks will build up on its surface from things like footwear, leaves and other vegetation, and dirt and grime from the roads.

“It’s to be expected, but it stands out here because it’s new.

“In this instance, the tyre marks were made by one of our street cleansing vehicles on its morning rounds cleaning up the town centre. The tyre marks have since faded and we will not use this vehicle in the area unless it is absolutely necessary.”