TWO men have been charged after a biker was robbed of his vehicle at knifepoint in Runcorn.

A teenager riding a Yamaha YZ 85 off-road motorbike was attacked by an offender brandishing a knife on Mooring Close in Murdishaw at around 2pm on Tuesday, March 5.

The 18-year-old was forced to hand over his vehicle to the robber, who pushed it to the nearby Runcorn Amateur Boxing Club car park before riding off into woodland leading to Goreswood Road.

Police recovered the stolen motorbike in the Murdishaw area on the same day.

And two men have now been charged in connection with the incident.

Twenty-year-old Mantas Savickas, of Waterford Way in Runcorn, has been charged with robbery while 19-year-old Darren Garbe, from Liverpool, has been charged with handling stolen goods.

Both appeared at Warrington Magistrates Court to face these charges today, Tuesday.

The pair will now appear before Chester Crown Court on Tuesday, May 7.

Savickas was remanded into custody until that date, while Garbe has been released on conditional bail.

Detective constable Phil Brown had earlier said: “This was a terrifying incident that has understandably left the victim extremely shaken up.

“I would like to reassure the community that it is believed to be an isolated incident and we are determined to establish the identity of the offender and bring him to justice.”

Chief Inspector Sarah Heath added: “We are committed to doing all that we can to tackle knife crime in Runcorn.

“It is an issue that we take extremely seriously and Runcorn Local Policing Unit will ensure that anyone found to be carrying a knife or committing a knife related offence in the town is brought to justice.

“But the police cannot beat knife crime without the help of the local community and we urge anyone with information about people who may be carrying knives to come forward and speak to us or Crimestoppers.”