Call for dedicated Sheffield bike park to prevent nuisance riders causing havoc

People living in Gleadless Valley hit out at quad bikers for pulling doughnuts on their estate on Sunday which left a number of front lawns churned up.

This followed previous damage caused just days earlier when nuisance riders left ugly tyre tracks on communal land outside homes in Spotswood Close. Weeks earlier yobs caused outrage on the same street by splattering walls and windows with mud.

The disorder sparked fierce debate on The Star’s Facebook page, with many residents calling for the creation of a dedicated off-road bike park in the city to keep yob riders off city streets.

Jamie Steele said: “Give them some where to all go and ride instead of wasting all the taxpayers’ money on trying to catch them.

“It would make everyone happy and keeps them of the streets.”

Elliott King added: “How come Doncaster has three tacks for dirt bikes and Sheffield doesn’t have one? You could build one where McDonald’s is in High Green or Chapeltown just of the M1.”

But Andy Fearn saw a problem with the idea.

He said: “These sort of people don’t want organised tracks. “It takes the pleasure out of being anti-social.”

South Yorkshire Police has launched a team dedicated to tackling off-road bikers in response to growing complaints about anti-social bikers across the city.

The team recently revealed how it had issued nearly 100 warnings and seized almost 37 bikes from people caught riding illegally.

But officers called on people to share more information about the bikers blighting their communities, to help bring them to justice.

Sheffield Council also vowed to work with officers to tackle the problem.

A council spokeswoman said: “If you see quad bikers in a green space or the woodlands please report it and call 101.”