Police to nab illegal bike riders

NOT IMPRESSED: Sandy Willmett and Samantha Seabright from Marsden neighbourhood Watch in Princess St, Marsden, where bike riders like to do burnouts.

CHILDREN as young as 10 years old have been sighted riding trail bikes illegally while terrorising and speeding through Marsden neighbourhoods.

For years, Marsden residents have had to deal with trail bike riders hooning through their suburb at all hours of the day, travelling at dangerous speeds and doing burnouts.

Local resident Stan Thompson has been living in Marsden for the past 30 years and said he is fed up with the bikers' behaviour.

"They usually start after school, but they ride until three or four in the morning and they think it's a raceway," he said.

"They know what they are doing is wrong, so I would like to see either their trail bikes or quad bikes confiscated immediately and then be sold with the money going towards charity on top of a large fine."

Marsden Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Sandy Willmett feared someone would be killed from their erratic behaviour.

"Sometimes what they do is pour oil over the chicanes so when they come through there they slip and drift," she said.

"What they are doing is just plain right dangerous, and we have been constantly updating police with their whereabouts and actions.

"But the problem is police need to have photographic evidence of their faces, and with mobile phone technology, they can call their mates and let them know where the police are."

Mrs Willmett said she constantly saw both adults and younger children riding the bikes throughout the suburb without helmets and protective clothing.

She claims she once saw a child no older than 10 riding a bike with an even younger child holding on.

Crestmead Police Station Senior Sergeant Rob Mulhern said the police acknowledged there had been a group of trail bikes riding within the area.

"Crestmead Police with the assistance of the Logan District Traffic Branch have increased patrols in the area and have located and dealt with offenders on trail bikes," he said.

"In the last six months two trail bikes have been impounded under the hooning legislation in Marsden."

Crestmead Police will continue to run further blitzes in the Marsden area in the upcoming months.