Didcot residents urge police to act over illegal mini motorbikes

Residents said they got "increasingly worried" and called the police

Police should do more to tackle riders of noisy mini motorbikes on a housing estate, a group of residents has said.

Residents of Great Western Park in Didcot, Oxfordshire, said they cannot keep windows open or even hold normal conversations because of the young people riding the unlicensed bikes.

Police were called to the area but the issue is yet to be resolved.

The force said it acknowledged more needed to be done but that the situation was "challenging".

Filipa Harris said she was disappointed with the police response

Resident Filipa Harris said the noise was such that having a conversation or attending a meeting online was "virtually impossible".

She said in the past week a group of five youngsters were seen riding mini motorbikes recklessly and were "looping around the estate" for "hours and hours".

"They didn't have registration numbers or helmets - it's all quite anti-social," Ms Harris said.

"I was quite disappointed by the police action I thought they would take it a bit more seriously."

Oxfordshire county councillor Ian Snowdon said residents told him that although police officers turned up and talked to the group of youngsters, the group started riding their bikes again as soon as the police left.

"These bikes were weaving between cars and causing all sorts of anti-social behaviour," he said.

He said he knew it was "difficult for the police when dealing with youths" but that the force had to do "more than just having a word" with the youngsters involved.

Matthew Barber, police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley Police, acknowledged the force needed to do more

Matthew Barber, the police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley Police, told BBC Radio Oxford he agreed the force needed to do more.

"I think we need to look at the powers the police are choosing to use and how strongly we tackle these issues," he said.

He explained there were "some real challenges sometimes" when dealing with issues that really concerned residents but were not "necessarily criminal".

Off-road bikes, including mini-motos, can only can be used on private land, with the landowner's permission.