Moorland above Todmorden has long been the target of people driving their two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles off-road but as an area of specialist scientific interest the moorland is protected by law and anyone caught driving off-road runs the risk of losing their vehicle to the crushers.
Sergeant Michael Bowden, of the upper Calder valley neighbourhood policing team, said he had been speaking to horseriders whose horses had been frightened by vehicles on the moors.
"It has been brought to our attention that there are off-road motorbikes and four-by-four vehicles driving on to the moor from Flowerscar Road and Sourhall Road.
"We can trace them if people take photographs of anyone on the moor using a motorised vehicle."
And he warned: "We do have the powers to take their vehicles and crush them and we will do so."
Robin Pennie, of Todmorden Moor Restoration Trust, said: "We are delighted that the police are taking the problem of off-roading by four-by-fours and bikes seriously.
"After all the recent rain these vehicles can cause even more damage than usual to peat moorland, which then takes even longer to recover.
"When we talk to people who have bikes, they frequently say that they have no idea that vehicles should not be used on the moor.
"We understand that warning notices will shortly be installed at several sites round the edge of Todmorden Moor pointing out that vehicles can be confiscated for such illegal activity.
"As some of our members have been subject to verbal abuse when they try to raise the problem with bikers, the warning notices will be very welcome."
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "In response to the above priority and after receiving reports of a motorbike being ridden on the moorland, our officers visited the area where a motorbike was seized under the no insurance scheme on Flowerscar Road, Todmorden.
"A £200 fixed penalty notice was issued to the driver who may now be dealt with by the Moorland Preservation Society."
The problem of unauthorised vehicle use on the moorland was raised at one the neighbourhood policing team's Police and Communities Together (PACT) meetings, which are held regularly at Todmorden Town Hall.
Other issues of concern raised at the last meeting, which was attended by over 25 people, included the need to tackle aggressive drunks in Todmorden town centre on Friday and Saturday nights in the area of Dale Street, Rochdale Road, Burnley Road and Halifax Road and the need to tackle speeding on Rochdale Road, Walsden.
The next PACT meeting will take place on Thursday, January 14, at 7pm in the town hall.