Permission is needed to ride mini motorbikes on private land

Home Office Minister Hazel Blears said the petrol-driven bikes were illegal on pavements and public highways and required permission on private land.

Police can confiscate and crush those being used illegally or irresponsibly.

Riders on parks, beaches or sand dunes face arrest for causing a public nuisance, fines up to �5,000 and Asbos.

Marketed as toys, the motorbikes can reach speeds of up to 60mph and have caused deaths and serious injuries.

Ms Blears said: "More retailers are stocking these items, retail prices have fallen and the second-hand market has expanded."

Sales have risen from 10,000 in 2002 to an estimated 100,000 in 2005, according to the Motor Cycle Industry Association.

Don't buy a mini-moto for a child unless you have access to private land where they can drive safely and within the law Pc Jan Beard

And complaints are rocketing.

Coventry Council says one out of every 10 calls to its anti-social behaviour hotline now concerns miniature motorbikes; 80 have been seized and three Asbos imposed.

Police and council officers have also seized 145 in Doncaster, 12 in Southend and 10 in Slough.

Pc Jan Beard of the Kendal Community Team, in Cumbria, said: "Don't buy a mini-moto for a child unless you have access to private land where they can drive safely and within the law.

"Even there, our advice is that all users should wear a helmet and bear in mind the potential nuisance that could be caused to others.

"If you use your vehicle in a manner which constitutes an offence or is deemed to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to the public on or off the road, your vehicle can be seized."

Road Safety Minister Stephen Ladyman said: "The government wants safe roads and pavements for everyone."