A DEVASTATED family has called on nuisance bikers to hand themselves over to police after they mowed down a pensioner and left him for dead in the street.

A 66-year-old has been told it may take more than a year to recover after being left with a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and other injuries following a hit and run on Darlington’s Estoril Road.

The retired plumber, who does not want to be named, had been leaving his home and was on the pavement when he was ploughed into by youths riding ‘mini motorbikes’ at about 7pm on Saturday, October 20.

While one biker stopped briefly at the scene, the others immediately fled and he followed soon after, before the emergency services arrived.

His sister is now calling on those responsible to take a “good look at themselves” and consider the impact of their actions as police investigations continue into the shocking incident.

She said: “My brother was mown down by people riding three mini motorbikes, who were racing them down the footpath.

“He cannot remember what happened and he is having difficulties speaking due to his injuries but neighbours told me that he was unconscious in the street and very badly injured – if he had been a child or any frailer, it would have been a fatality.

The Northern Echo:

The scene of the incident on Estoril Road

“Before this, he was a fit and active retired man living independently and this has had a devastating impact – he has had to move in with us to be cared for.”

She called on police to do more to tackle the problem of nuisance bikers, saying that those living in Eastbourne had repeatedly raised concerns over those riding dangerously in the area.

She said: “There is fear in the community over this, it’s a regular occurrence to see people racing up and down the street and it’s been happening for a long time.

“My brother was born and bred in this area and he should be safe, it’s awful to see him so badly injured.

“If I could say anything to those responsible, I’d ask them if they realise the damage they’ve done.

“It would be slightly better if even one of them had stayed and said they were wrong, that they were sorry but instead, they’re still racing around out there.

“They need to be found, he could have been killed.”

The woman also raised concerns about the poor quality of CCTV footage retrieved by police from street cameras, saying it was a waste of public funds to introduce such cameras if resulting footage was unusable.

She is currently planning to meet with police and local politicians to discuss the matters raised further.

Inspector Chris Knox, from Darlington Neighbourhood Police Team, pictured below, said: “We are disappointed that, following a despicable incident of this nature, nobody has come forward with any information to help us identify the suspects.

The Northern Echo: UPDATE: Inspector Chris Knox, from the Darlington Neighbourhood Policing Team

“As part of our investigation, we are carrying out house to house enquiries and are reviewing CCTV from the area, but the footage we have received so far is of poor quality. 

“We would urge anyone who has any footage from the Estoril Road area or the surrounding streets to contact us as it may help us identify the suspects and take action against them.

“We have carried out a lot of work over the past year to tackle off-road bikes in Darlington, including issuing traffic notices and seizing illegal bikes, and that work is continuing. However, it is a community issue and the police cannot tackle it alone.

“We need people to come forward with information on who these bikers are, where they live and where they are storing their bikes.”