Warning to illegal bikers

Youngsters riding off-road bikes have been making lives a misery for residents living on the Thorpe Edge, Ravenscliffe, Bradford Moor and Eccleshill areas of the city.

But pleas from police to the youths to stop riding in communal green areas have fallen on deaf ears.

Sergeant Brian Pickford, Eccleshill division traffic manager, said: "We're sending out a warning to these kids that if they don't stop riding their bikes on this land they will lose them.

"They are causing a tremendous nuisance to the people who live on these estates. The bikes cause a horrendous amount of noise.

"We've been inundated with calls from residents complaining about the noise and asking us to stop the problem.

"A lot of this land is council-owned and it is illegal to ride on it. We've been stopping some of these youths and advising them not to ride there anymore. But these warnings have fallen on deaf ears and they are continuing to ride there."

Sgt Pickford said that the police had already confiscated 12 motorbikes in recent months and would step up their campaign to rid the estates of illegal riders.

He said that all bikes confiscated from now on would be crushed.

"A lot of these bikes aren't insured and a few of the ones we've confiscated have also been stolen. The youths who are riding their bikes on these estates don't necessarily live there, some are coming from other areas to ride their bikes."

The crackdown follows efforts by Odsal Police earlier this year to stop youngsters in the Holme Wood, Canterbury, Buttershaw and Odsal areas riding motorbikes in public areas.

A five-year-old boy was rushed to hospital last week after he was knocked down by a hit-and-run quad bike rider while playing in the alley behind his house in St Stephen's Road, West Bowling.

The boy, Nasar Ashraf, suffered a broken leg and head injuries in the accident. Police are appealing for information on the identity of the quad bike driver.