North Wales Police now has new powers under the 2026 Crime and Policing Act to seize vehicles used for illegal off-roading on the spot, without prior warning. This comes as both police and Natural Resources Wales report a significant rise in off-roading incidents causing damage to protected natural habitats and anti-social behaviour. The crackdown is particularly focused on preventing further environmental damage to sensitive moorland and peatland areas in northeast Wales.

In August, three men were convicted for causing severe damage to the Berwyn Site of Special Scientific Interest using 4×4 vehicles—they destroyed 40 centimetres of peat representing approximately 400 years of natural growth that cannot be recovered in human timescales. Police attribute the rise in incidents partly to social media sharing of location details, with off-roaders travelling from across the UK, including from London and the Midlands. Beyond traditional vehicles, officers report increasing problems with e-bikes, wild camping, illegal fires, and waste dumping on fragile protected sites, with the environmental and wildlife impacts considered potentially irreversible without intervention.