A MAN has called on police to take action against hooligans on motorcycles who have a plaguing his housing estate after some of the tearaways allegedly tried to run him over on a public footpath.

The resident, who does not wished to be named, said two motorcyclists had driven directly at him when he tried to get a photograph of eight of them spinning around a young mother and her child in Wingate, east Durham.

He said he had complained numerous times to police about the youths on motorcycles who are making life a misery in the Woodland View and Forest Gate area of the village and on a grassed area from North Road.

The irate resident said: “There are a lot of elderly and disabled people on the estate.

“These youths are constantly riding on the public footpaths and on the grassed areas – pulling wheelies and racing around. There are also cars riding on the grassed areas sometimes.

“A couple of weeks ago I was on my way to the bus on the public footpath when I saw at least eight scrambler motorcycles driving around a woman and her child in a circle. They weren’t letting her go and the child was terrified.

“I thought I would try and get a picture of them on my mobile phone to show the police.

“But then one of them saw me as I took it out of my pocket and and started shouting obscenities at me.”

He added: “Two of the lads drove straight at me at speed. They weren’t playing chicken, either. I had to jump out of the way or the first motorcycle or he would have hit me.

“He must have missed me by a only a couple of feet. The second motorcycle.”

The culprits, who were driving red and white scramblers, then made off.

A Durham Police spokesman said: “We are aware there is an issue with off-road and quad bikes being used on the grassed area opposite Woodland View, which has been raised with us by a number of residents.

“This is an issue the police cannot solve alone, so we are liaising with other agencies including the county council to see what steps can be taken.

“I would urge residents who have concerns to contact the neighbourhood policing team with any relevant details, which could help us establish any patterns as to when these incidents are taking place.”

  • Anyone with information or who would like to report incidents should contact Durham Police on 101.