Northumbria Police slams 'totally unacceptable' electric motorbikes but South Tyneside still being plagued

Residents at the latest meeting of Hebburn Community Area Forum (CAF) raised concerns about the nuisance behaviour which they have witnessed, often on a night, in the region.

Northumbria Police chiefs noted they are aware of issues with such vehicles, adding it is a national problem, and stressed the importance of residents reporting intelligence.

Inspector Dave Heron, who covers the area, speaking at the meeting, said: “What we need is government to change legislation around that.

“It’s a national issue, and we’ve got it as a force right across the area. We need to know about it, where the disorder is happening, where you’ve seen them.”

Residents at the meeting heard the force has a motorcycle disorder team which can be deployed to areas where high numbers of reports of nuisance or criminal behaviour with the vehicles are recorded.

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Inspector Heron stressed they will take action where riders are “behaving in a disorderly manner or committing antisocial behaviour.”

He continued: “If we’ve got a problem, we need to know about it, so we can get that disorder team down. The riders might wear some clothing that might identify them. Clearly the behaviour described there is totally unacceptable. They’re [the electric motorbikes] pretty silent as well.

“An electric motorbike should be registered, but they should be on a field or private land, they should have the same protection as a normal motorbike would have, like tax, tested and MOT and insured.”

Councillor Shane Smith, Hebburn South ward representative, asked if “e-scooters fall under the same sort of rules when they’re ridden on the paths.”

Inspector Heron noted although some people “think they’re a children’s toy, they’re not” and the “same rules apply.”

READ MORE: Off-road bikes still terrorising neighbourhoods as calls made for parents to control their kids

Donald Wade, South Tyneside Council antisocial behaviour, neighbourhood crime and serious violence co-ordinator, also issued warnings around the potential impact of off-road and electric motorbike use.

This included how anyone who is a council tenant or a tenant of one of the “major registered social landlords in the area” is “breaching their tenancy agreement” if they are storing an off-road bike being used for antisocial behaviour in their home.

Additionally he noted nationally there are “increasing concerns about the lithium batteries that these bikes have” and how “they’ve been prone to explode and cause house fires.”

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Mr Wade said: “If we can get the information as to where they’re being stored or individuals who are involved, then we will go jointly with the police and take action, seize the bikes.

“We’re also looking at longer term environmental action to take to try and make it less attractive to criminals or people engaging in crime and antisocial behaviour.”

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 antisocial behaviour to the council, visit https://www.southtyneside.gov.uk/article/1957/Report-anti-social-behaviour.