A shocking image has been released by police showing a motorbike-riding father allegedly racing across a park with his two-year-old child balanced on his lap.

West Midlands Police said the 28-year-old male handed the youngster to family members after realising he was being shadowed by the police helicopter in Coventry, on Sunday.

The mini-moto rider then allegedly tried to flee the police chopper before being stopped by officers in Old Church Road, in the north of the city, where the bike was also seized.

The image, released by police on Tuesday, was taken from footage recorded by the air unit.

The man has since been reported for prosecution for careless driving and riding the bike in a dangerous condition, the force said.

A referral has also been made to social services in connection to the child, police added.

The incident was one of several in which a total of nine off-road bikes were seized during a dank holiday weekend crackdown.

Sergeant Mitch Darby, from West Midlands Police, said the incident was “hard to believe”.

“The child was balanced precariously on the rider’s lap, obviously with no helmet or protective clothing, as he rode across grassland,” he added.

“It doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened had he lost control or the child fallen from the bike.

“Apparently the bike was a birthday present – but we’ve now seized it and will be looking to crush it.”