Two Australian teenagers landed themselves in hot soup when they were filmed by a police drone burning skid marks on the road in Hobart, Southern Tasmania last weekend.

The drone was the eye in the sky for a patrol in the area when it espied the two teenagers, in two separates incidents, smoking the treads off their motorcycle and vehicle tyres, a vandalism act which then led to their arrest.

Reports from Australia say local police apprehended the kids, one of whom is a seventeen-year old with a learner’s licence on his bike.

He was performing an extended burnout and high-speed wheelie in the Rose Bay area on Saturday night, police said.

The teenager will appear in court in November for serious traffic offences, according to Tasmania police’s Sergeant Andy McShane.

“The behaviour of the motorcyclist was reckless and extremely dangerous, and they’re lucky to have not been seriously injured or killed from their actions,” he said.

“Police investigations are ongoing to locate and seize the motorcycle.”

The other teenager, eighteen, was also charged for performing a prolonged burnout in Montagu Bay.

His vehicle has been clamped for a month and he will appear in court on summons for several driving related charges.

“It’s pleasing to see that drones are assisting police to detect and remove unsafe motorists from our roads, however, it’s disappointing that some motorists continue to drive and ride dangerously which puts themselves and others at risk,” McShane said.

“Police will continue to deploy drones across the state to assist in investigations and detect and deter unsafe motorists and those who commit anti-social behaviours.”

Drone use is policing and public safety operations is gaining momentum the world over, and – aside from monitoring traffic – drone technology has also been applied to crowd control, tactical situations, search and rescue, as an eye in the sky during pursuits of suspects; among several other applications.