Call for action on motorbikes

Motorbike riders tearing around open land in Great Wyrley for several hours each night are ruining the lives of people living nearby, a resident claimed.

John Hill, of Walsall Road, told Great Wyrley Parish Council that he was on his "hands and knees begging for something to be done" about the situation.

He said adults on scrambler bikes were getting on to the sports fields located right behind his home and claimed it made it difficult for him to sit peacefully in his garden.

He called for access to the land to be made difficult so those responsible could not get away so easily when police community support officers (PCSOs) arrived.

Mr Hill said: "This week so far has been fairly horrendous. Monday night was three hours solid from 6.30pm onwards and Tuesday was two hours of it.

"I do a day at work, come home and like a beer in the garden and to feed the goldfish, but you just can't sit in your garden," he added.

"At the moment we are clutching at straws because myself and the two PCSOs have tried virtually everything. We are on our hands and knees begging for help."

Village PCSOs Yvonne Shorto and Karen Terry have worked closely with Mr Hill on addressing the problem but he claimed they needed greater assistance from Staffordshire Police.

Mr Hill also asked if parish councillors could meet with him to look at the site and think up ways of limiting access to it for motorbikes.

Councillor Sue Wood, chairman of the parish council, said other sites in the village suffered similar problems, including the Star Land at the back of The Star pub in Walsall Road and said it was difficult to address.

Great Wyrley Parish Council agreed to write to Staffordshire Police to request more policing to assist the PCSOs in the matter.