There has been a spike in reports of unregistered trail bikes being misused in the Lower Hunter recently, police say.
During his weekly update on social media on Friday, Port Stephens-Hunter Police District commander Superintendent Chad Gillies said he was getting more reports from the community about unregistered trail bikes being used on roads and sporting fields in the Woodberry and Tenambit areas.
"I know that it's happening elsewhere but we are getting significant feedback [in relation to those locations] at the moment," he said.
"We've employed some high-visibility taskings in and around that area, not just with our local GDs [general duties officers] but also our highway patrol."
Meanwhile, the NSW government issued a plea on Friday - the beginning of Motorcycle Awareness Month - for riders to take extra care on the roads, with the state recording almost a 50 per cent jump in motorbike-related deaths this year compared with last year.
"We have seen a disturbing increase in the number of fatalities, with 39 motorcyclists killed between January and August this year - that's 13 more than the same time period last year," Transport Minister Andrew Constance said.
