Men fined for illegal use of scrambler bikes in protected area of Wicklow mountains

Two men have pleaded guilty in a Carlow court to the use of scrambler bikes in a Special Area of Conservation and failure to comply or obstruct an officer in the exercise of their duties.

The two men were caught using the All Terrain Vehicles in a protected part of the Wicklow mountains in November 2020 by National Parks and Wildlife Service Rangers, causing damage to the vulnerable blanket bog habitat.

District Court Judge Geraldine Carthy convicted the men on both counts and said in this instance she would not impose a custodial sentence but instead imposed a fine of €1,500 each plus costs.

This is the second successful case by Heritage Minister Malcolm Noonan’s department for the illegal use of ATV’s before Carlow District Court in the last month.