Northumbria Police raids South Tyneside homes as nuisance off-road bikers plague neighbourhoods and deal drugs

Concerns were raised at the latest meeting of Hebburn Community Area Forum (CAF) around off-road bikes riding dangerously in parts of the region.

Figures in a report from Northumbria Police representatives stated there had been 17 reports of motorcycle disorder in the CAF area in the period from March 9 to May 27.

The report stressed police “continue to tackle these issues and utilise relevant legislation where appropriate and continue to work alongside the council to tackle motorcycle antisocial behaviour.”

Northumbria Police also has a motorbike disorder team which continues to work off intelligence and number of motorbike disorder reports per area.

Sammy Doak, council community safety and tenancy enforcement team assistant manager, speaking at the meeting, said nuisance off-road bikes are a key problem they are trying to tackle.

He added: “The main issue which is a blight on the borough at the minute, but one we’re working really hard on, is around the motorcycle disorder, the antisocial behaviour.”

He added they are targeting hot spot locations across the borough which includes sites in Hebburn such as around Monkton Mineral Line and the riverside area, and near the River Don.

Mr Doak continued: “We’re going to target our patrols against these addresses where we believe that these bikes are coming from.”

He also noted that recently Northumbria Police carried out warrants at addresses to take “positive action” to tackle criminality and antisocial behaviour linked to motorcycles as part of Operation Impact.

Several councillors at the meeting voiced their concerns around incidents of motorcycle disorder in their wards.

Labour’s Councillor Shane Smith, Hebburn South representative, said: “The speed people go down the Mineral Line is dangerous, it’s an accident waiting to happen.”

He noted he and the other two councillors in his ward, Cllr John McCabe and Cllr Angela Lamonte, are aiming to arrange a meeting with police to discuss the issue.

Labour’s Councillor Paul Dean, Monkton ward representative, added: “As councillors we’ve all got hot spots for bike disorder, mine does border parts of the Mineral Line as well, and we’ve got a particular problem in Lukes Lane.”

He added he and others in his ward have concerns around the vehicles being used for criminal offences including “dealing in drugs.”

Residents at the meeting also voiced their worries around both petrol and electric motorbike nuisance and called for more action to be taken.

Mr Doak stressed the issue is a key topic which South Tyneside’s community safety partnership, which is made up of the likes of the council, the police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, is looking to address.

He added: “There has got to be some thinking outside the box around how we’re going to do it, how we’re going to resolve this issue.

“It is a nationwide issue, it’s a big issue here but there is a lot of work that’s getting done.”

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

For details on how to report riders' antisocial behaviour to the council, visit https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/1957/Report-anti-social-behaviour.