A campaign to improve motorcycle safety has been launched following an "extremely worrying" growing number of serious crashes.

The Essex Police campaign, which will be carried out by their Casualty Reduction Section's motorcycle unit, will see officers using marked and covert bikes to carry out roadside speed checks.

Unmarked bikes will also be used to mingle with groups of riders to gather evidence from video cameras fitted on the bikes and a long-running PitStop initiative, in which police motorcyclists stop and talk with Sunday morning riders, will also be extended to cover more areas. 

The campaign, which began on Friday (July 3), was launched after it was announced that more than 200 incidents involving bikers had been reported in 2015.

Officers have been called to 64 fatal and serious injury collisions involving motorbikes, scooters and mopeds and a total of 147 slight injury collisions, since January.

In March, a motorcyclist, Paul Roberts, 43, of Malkin Drive Way in Harlow, who weaved in and out of traffic with a pillion passenger at speeds up to 148mph on the M11 near Chigwell was fined £400 and banned from driving for 15 months.

The rider's top speed is believed to be the highest ever recorded in the UK by a rider carrying a pillion passenger.

Adam Pipe, Casualty Reduction Manager for Essex Police said: "In recent years we have had considerable successes in reducing fatal and serious injury motorcycle crashes. 

"But the significant increases in fatal and serious injury collisions so far this year are extremely worrying and disappointing.

"More people are turning to motorbikes, scooters and mopeds as a cheaper form of transport and a significant number of collisions do involve riders travelling to and from work.

"There has also been a significant increase in the number of collisions involving enthusiasts riding high-performance machines for pleasure.

"There are certain roads in Essex that are popular with motorcycle club members and others who enjoy motorcycle touring.

"But there are also a small number of riders who use these roads to ride at high speed, copying their heroes who race at speed, but on tracks built for racing.

"In response to the number of crashes and to the concerns of worried residents we are increasing activities in the affected areas, especially during evenings and weekends when groups of riders gather to show off and ride dangerously.

"We would prefer to educate riders and show them the consequences of riding too fast and taking too many risks.

"But we will definitely prosecute cases of high end offending, speed or careless or dangerous riding and put offenders before the courts as quickly as possible.”