Nuisance bikers are 'intimidating' dog walkers and using park as 'race track'

POLICE SAY THEY ARE CLAMPING DOWN ON ANTI-SOCIAL RIDING

- By GEORGE PALMER-SOADY

A MAN who lives next to a popular park says antisocial off-road bikers use it as a "race track".

Slowly riding up behind families and revving engines is just one of the “intimidation tactics” Colin Smith says have become commonplace in his local park in Kirkby in Ashfield.

He has lived near Kingsway Park for five years and uses it to walk his dog every day.

But since April, he says, a rise in antisocial behaviour and off-road biking there has made dogwalking virtually impossible.

"It has started becoming a daily thing and it goes into the evening - you could almost set your watch by it at 7pm and you'd see them in the park," Mr Smith said.

"They've been using the park as a race track for about 18 months now, but it's only recently its got worse.

"There's a few people who target you on the bikes - it's particularly bad if you've got a dog.

"They will chase the dog on the bike and aim for you directly.

"I don't think they've any intentions of hitting you or the dog, and they swerve at the last minute - but it's still the last thing you want."