Call for neighbourhood tip-offs in crackdown on 'dangerous' off-road bikers in Hebburn

It comes after concerns were raised at the latest Hebburn Community Area Forum over motorbikes being ridden around Riverside Park and near the River Tyne.

One resident said they were “concerned there will be an accident” and it is “getting quite dangerous” due to off-road bike riders getting “very close” to children walking by.

Northumbria Police representatives at the meeting last week earlier in January, said they have PCSOs out on “electric pedal bikes” to deter riders and stressed they are doing everything possible to tackle offenders.

PC Jason Sweeney said: “We’re doing all we can to capture who they are. It’s identifying the rider, identifying the bike, going finding out where they are.

“We rely on intelligence that’s fed into the police and again I would encourage anybody to ring up … and we can collate all the evidence together and get these people caught.”

“Even if we don’t catch them when they’re doing it, we’ll find out where they live … and they’ll be dealt with accordingly.”

He added this can include issuing legal notices which see the motorbikes used by the guilty parties seized and destroyed.

Statistics presented by police at the meeting highlighted how there had been 39 instances of antisocial behaviour recorded in Hebburn between November 25 and January 6, which included six reports of motorcycle disorder.

In the eight weeks prior to this there were 43 incidents logged, six of which again were for motorcycle disorder.

In comparison, during the same November to January period last year there were 51 antisocial behaviour reports recorded, two of which were for motorcycle disorder.

It was revealed in 2021 that Northumbria Police hoped to develop a dedicated facility to divert off-road motorbikes to, in an attempt to tackle issues often raised in populated areas.

Motorcycle disorder is a regular topic at council meetings across the region, with concerns over speeding, noise and public safety, and the proposed ‘bike park’ model follows in the footsteps of police in Scotland.

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