'Only a matter of time before a serious accident' - Watch as Sunderland cyclists and pedestrians slam illegal motor bikers on city's cycleways

A key area identified by people who spoke to the Echo is the C2C cycle and pedestrian route in Sunderland and Washington which they feel is being plagued by an increasing number of illegal riders.

Anne Twine, 69, from Harraton regularly uses the route to walk her dog and believes “it’s only a matter of time” before there’s a serious accident.

She added: “The issue of both petrol motorbikes and these electric motorbikes has definitely become a bigger issue more recently.

“Two Sundays ago I was on the route and there were people on five quad bikes. These weren’t kids but were men who looked in their 30s.

“They were all camouflaged so you couldn’t see who they were. They seemed to be having a great time but they shouldn’t be on here.”

Anne has witnessed a number of near misses first-hand.

She added: “There are people walking dogs and families with children who could easily step out in-front of one of these bikes. I’ve seen a few close misses and how someone has not been seriously injured is beyond me.

“There should be more police walking or cycling on this section to keep any eye on things and CCTV should be installed at pinch point areas such as the bridge near the school, as there’s other antisocial behaviour with glass bottles being smashed which can be a danger for cyclists and pet owners.”

Cyclist Vincent Quinn, 70, from Birtley, uses the Sunderland and Washington section of the C2C “three to four times a week” and admits he feels vulnerable when motor bikers, particularly those with electric engines, are in close proximity.

He said: “I’ve seen a few of them near Cox Green and they just come flying through. They fly up at more than 30mph and it does make me feel unsafe.

“The worst ones are the electric engines as you can’t hear them coming.

“Many years ago I saw a couple of police officers on horseback near Beamish, but I’m not sure what the police can do.”

It’s a sentiment share by Washington cyclist and reverend at Glebe Methodist Church, Paul Worsnop, 71, who’s particularly concerned by the increasing number of illegal electric bikes using local cycleways.

Legal electric bikes are restricted to a top speed of 15.5mph if you are using motor assistance, but Reverend Worsnop has experienced people doing “far in excess” of this speed.

Reverend Worsnop added: “I’ve seen quite a few of these electric bikes which are obviously illegal because they are going way past 15mph.

“They’re definitely an increasing problem. There’s all sorts of vulnerabilities for cyclists and this is another one.

“They definitely create an increased risk of accidents.

“It’s a really difficult one for the police to tackle as people on these bikes can obviously go places at speed where, unless the police officers have a got a similar type of bike, they can’t go.

“This is a big challenge for the police. The way to stop it is to prevent them being sold and to stop people buying them .

“Where are these people getting these bikes? They’re not getting them in bike shops.”

Cyclist Tony Smith, from Sunderland, regularly uses the local stretch of the C2C cycle route and has witnessed first-hand the dangers posed by the illegal uses of motorbikes.

Tony, 52, said: “I’ve an electric bike, but it’s restricted to 15.5mph. These illegal ones go far faster and the problem is you can’t hear them.

“I was once on a cycle route in Ryhope and a motorbike came flying up behind us at about 50mph.

“We pulled off to the left and he went flying past. Another motorbike suddenly came across his path and he swerved and hit a lamppost.

“He was riding like a maniac and there were cyclists, dog walkers and children all on the route.”

Friend and fellow cyclist Richard Cairns, 51, added: “We often ride together and motorbikes and illegal electric bikes are definitely becoming an increasing problem.

“After seeing what happened in the incident in which that motorbike crashed I definitely feel more vulnerable when I’m out on my bike.”

Carol Attwell, 73, lives in Fatfield and regularly cycles on the route. Unlike other people who spoke to the Echo she said the situation of illegal use of motor and electric bikes has been reported to the police.

She said: “I’m a member of Fatfield Residents’ Association and we have reported this problem to the police.

“However, they don’t really have the resources anymore and we’ve not had any real success in getting it resolved.”

For fellow Washington cyclist Eddie Ford, 77, the biggest issue is more in Princess Anne Park which can be accessed from the cycle route.

He said: “There’s a big issue in the park with high powered bikes being used on footpaths. They’re not being driven at a sensible speed and are a big danger for people potentially being knocked over.

“I don’t think some of these riders have any concept of the law and if they do, they are using the fact it’s an electric bike as excuse to break the it.

“I don’t report it to the police as it’s a bit of waste of time. I think people are resigned to it happening.

“What we need is more community police officers patrolling these areas.”

I decided to cover this issue of antisocial behaviour after my own experiences of the potential dangers of what certainly feels like an increasing number of petrol motor bikes and what are effectively motorbikes with electric engines being used on this local section of the C2C.

Living in Washington and as a keen cyclist myself, I often cycle out on this route, on average three times per week.

Seeing a motorbike and certainly illegal electric bikes used to be a rare occasion, but I now find myself sharing the cycle path with one of these vehicles what feels like nearly every time I go out.

Two weeks ago I was out wife my family, including two young children, and even having a two year old in my wife’s bike seat and five-year-old in my trailer didn’t stop two people on moped flying towards us and then past us at what must have been approaching 30mph.

Just this week I found myself being tailed by what was effectively a motorbike with an electric engine. It was a narrow stretch of the route and the rider was clearly desperate to get past.

Eventually the cycle route did widen and the rider went past tooting his horn and hurling abuse that I had not moved over to let him past, either ignorant or oblivious to the fact he should not have been on the path in the first place.

When I contacted Northumbria Police about both mine and other people’s concerns they quite rightly asked if I had reported these situations to the police.

Like the vast majority of people I interviewed I hadn’t, and the police understandably pointed out it’s difficult for them to comment on a specific issue if it’s not reported.

Like my fellow cyclists, I had fallen into the trap of being a victim of silent crime and the belief - whether perception or fact - that little can or will be done to deal with what seems to be becoming an increasingly dangerous menace on our cycle paths and walkways.

Responding generally to the misuse motorbikes and the illegal use of electric bikes, Northumbria Police have stressed they’re making a concerted effort to deal with this form of antisocial behaviour and reminded people in the community of the importance of reporting incidents.

Chief Superintendent Barrie Joisce, Northumbria Police’s anti-social behaviour lead, said: “As a Force, we take all reports of anti-social behaviour seriously, including those involving electric motorbikes and off-road bikes.

“This is because we know the actions of a minority can have a significant detrimental impact on the wider community.

“We remain committed to tackling this type of disorder and introduced Operation Capio to co-ordinate our efforts with partners.

“We have also introduced two task forces to specifically tackle motorbike-related ASB, seizing over 100 off-road bikes in the last 12 months.

“As part of this activity, we regularly deploy officers to hotspot areas, issue dispersal notices and make arrests where appropriate.

“We have also recently started to use drones to support our work in this area and will continue to use technology to enhance and develop our response.

“Over the last year we’ve seen positive reductions in incidents involving off-road and electric bikes.

“By sharing concerns and reporting incidents to us this allows our intelligence picture to grow so we can better shape our patrols and planning.

“I hope our communities know that we act on the information they share with us and we’d ask they continue to be our eyes and ears.

“If you see something suspicious, please report it to us at the earliest opportunity and share as much detail as possible to help us bring any offenders to justice.”

Cyclists and pedestrians were speaking to the Echo as part of our National World Silent Crime campaign, run by the Echo’s parent company, to shine a light on the growing number of crimes going unreported to the police by people losing faith in the justice system, and to enable their voices to be heard.

To force change, we need to unite and remind ourselves that these 'little' crimes are not acceptable.

You should be safe and feel safe at work, at home, in the park and in your own neighbourhoods. We need you to tell us your stories and we, on your behalf, will take them to Downing Street. We need to stop being silent and we need you to help us.

To tell your story go to:https://submit.nationalworld.com/