THURROCK Council joined forces with Essex Police to search 60 garages in the borough as part of an initiative to tackle motorcycle nuisance.

The garages were all un-let council garages which officers from the Environmental Enforcement and Housing Garages Teams were searching to make sure they are not being used to store vehicles which are either stolen or used by anti-social off road motorcyclists.

It is the latest operation in this scheme to ensure that un-let garages are not being used illicitly. The team found fly-tipped waste, which was cleared and will be investigated.

After the search, on Friday, 12 November, Thurrock Council leader and public protection and anti-social behaviour portfolio holder, Cllr Rob Gledhill, said: "This is part of an ongoing operation taking place across the borough over the coming months, obviously we will not say where and when.

"These garages are the property of the council and if they are not in use, and it is appropriate, we would look to convert them into homes as we have seen successfully done in Chadwell St Mary.

"The council has to do what it can to tackle anti-social behaviour and ensure our assets are used in the most effective way to support the needs of our borough's residents.

"Officers found a number of fly-tips in the garages with others clearly empty for quite some time."