A motorist is counting the cost of idiot bikers plaguing residents on a Bradford estate after one of them ran into the back of his car.

The 50-year-old has been left with a £150 bill, and had to flee to a police station when he was confronted by the rider’s pals.

The victim, who does not want to be identified for his own protection, said groups of uninsured and illegal riders, without helmets, have been causing a nuisance on the Thorpe Edge estate and surrounding areas for six months with their antics on off-road scrambling motorbikes.

One elderly man who uses a walking stick was terrorised when a group of riders rode circles around him and a resident with heart problems was left distraught by the bikes being ridden up and down outside his home.

Police, responding to information from worried members of the public, have used CCTV footage and the force helicopter to help gather evidence and are hoping to make arrests.

They are also set to use anti-social behaviour legislation and are working closely with homes provider Incommunities to evict those who break the terms of their tenancies.

The 50-year-old man told how he was driving his Mondeo estate in Rockwell Lane, Thorpe Edge, when one of the bike riders began doing wheelies behind him. The motorist then had to stop to let traffic come through from the opposite direction.

“I looked in my mirror and saw the bike coming at a rate of knots and I knew there was no way he could stop,” the man said.

“He slammed into the back of my car and fell off, but jumped straight back up and rode off. I gave chase but three other bikes appeared and the riders started kicking my car.

“I drove to Javelin House police station with one of the bikes in pursuit but he gave up when he realised where I was going.

“It will cost £150 to repair my car, but these riders are all uninsured, so it will come out of my own pocket.

“Many people have complained about these riders. It is an ongoing problem but has been worse in the last six months.

“They have attacked other cars and harassed one old man with a walking stick by riding round and round him on the road.

“Another woman complained because her husband has a heart problem and he is being intimidated by these bikes screaming up and down outside his house.”

Inspector David Collyer, who leads the Eccleshill Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “We are aware of some people on off-road bikes who have been causing problems in Thorpe Edge and have been working with the community and our partners to gather information and arrest those responsible.

“We have been conducting inquiries in the area with local housing associations to try to identify these offenders, and will be looking to have these machines destroyed.

“We have also been carrying out regular patrols and examining CCTV footage for evidence of any offences committed.

“Anyone found using one of these bikes illegally, or riding one dangerously, faces having their machine seized, a fine and a possible prison sentence.”