A Ford Ranger vehicle followed a motorbike during an off-road pursuit in Oxfordshire that concluded with the rider leaving the area on foot.

Thames Valley Police explained that officers had been looking for a stolen motorcycle on Thursday evening, May 21, in the vicinity of Charlbury when they chased a suspected vehicle across rough terrain in their Ford Ranger.

According to the force, the motorcycle could not cope with the landscape and was left behind. Although it was not the reported stolen bike, it had been officially declared off the road and therefore was illegal to use.

A force representative stated that personnel had been finishing documentation in the Charlbury region after receiving reports about a stolen motorbike being ridden locally.

The motorbike was followed across countryside by the Rural Crime Taskforce’s Ford Ranger before becoming stuck in difficult ground and being deserted.

This machine turned out not to be the stolen motorbike but should not have been on the highway as it had been registered as SORN.