‘Accident waiting to happen’ - Concerns raised over nuisance off-road bikes in a Hebburn park

Councillors at the latest meeting of Hebburn Community Area Forum (CAF) raised issues around off-road bikes riding dangerously in Riverside Park.

Northumbria Police chiefs said there had been 30 reports of motorcycle disorder in the region since the last CAF meeting on March 15.

They stressed they will continue to seek to tackle such issues and utilise relevant legislation where appropriate, along with working alongside the council to address nuisance motorcycle antisocial behaviour. 

They also urged residents to report any incidents they see to help them plan how to deploy resources.

Speaking at the meeting (on Monday, June 10), councillor Shane Smith, Hebburn South ward representative, raised concerns over Riverside Park being “a bit of a hot spot for motorcycle disorder”.

He said: “You see people flying along the path, a lot of them are wearing balaclavas and stuff so they can’t be identified.

“It seems to be a bit of an accident waiting to happen when you’ve got kids running around and dogs playing.

“It wrecks the landscape as well which is another thing because it churns up all the grass, but my main worry is they’re going to hit a child or something walking along that path eventually.”

Sergeant Kris Irving, police representative at the meeting, said the force does have a recently established dedicated motorcycle disorder team working to tackle such issues.

Sign up for the Shields Gazette’s free email newsletters to read the latest headlines and breaking news alerts

He added: “They are a force resource, so they’ve got all the way to the border of Scotland to cover, so we do get them occasionally.

“All I would say is if you do see any motorcycle disorder, please report it in.

“The more reports we get, that’s how they dedicate where they’re going to be, so the more reports we get, that’s where they’re going to dedicate their time.”

It is not the first time Riverside Park has been highlighted as a problem site for off-road bikes, with concerns also being raised around “dangerous” riding in the area at a CAF meeting last year.

People can report incidents of nuisance motorbike riders to police at https://www.northumbria.police.uk/ as well as by calling 101.