A fed up resident says reckless motorbike riders are causing problems in and around Alderman Kneeshaw Park in Bilton Grange at least once a week.

Motorcyclists badly damaged football pitches on the park at the grounds of Barham AFC on Saturday morning, just hours before kick-offs were due to take place. Such was the damage, the pitches could not be used and the games were cancelled.

Nearby resident Garry Smith, 71, walks his dog Storm daily on the park but says these antisocial riders do not just ride on the park. They even ended up riding their machines in his garden.

Garry said: “It is just ridiculous and no one seems to be doing anything about it. My garden was damaged about four or five weeks ago.

“I was out walking the dog but my wife has disabilities and cannot get out of the house on her own. These people came on their scramblers into the garden and petrified her. They didn’t just damage the garden but came up and banged on the door.

“I contacted the council but I didn’t report it to the police as they never come round. This has been a problem on the park for a good while. It isn’t just kids either, there are fully grown adults doing this.

“It doesn’t happen every day but I’d say it is a weekly occurrence. They ride over the hill but they have no idea what is on the other side. There could be a bairn there and they wouldn’t see them until it is too late.

“The council have been planting trees and carrying out work to make it look nice but they have already been damaged. I think more needs to be done to prevent these bikes getting on the park.”

Lee Noble, vice-chairman of Barham AFC, posted photos of the damaged pitches on the club’s Facebook page, saying: “And this is what we are up against at Barham. Mindless idiots wrecking it for all the kids as we have now had to move games, etc. so all the kids can play.”

The club, which began a year ago with just one team, had since grown quickly and now has several pitches, a men's squad and eight children's teams, ranging from under sevens to under 15s.

The damage at the weekend had meant two pitches were out of action with five games having to be rearranged as a result.

Motorcycle crime is nothing new to Hull and such was the problem Humberside Police launched Operation Yellowfin five years ago. This targeted enforcement has included the multiple search warrants, recovering hundreds of stolen and abandoned vehicles, disrupting offenders and engaging with the community to offer safety and security advice to bike owners.

Bilton Grange is one of a number of hot spots for motorcycle crime in Hull, alongside Sutton Park, off Hedon Road and the Orchard Park area. Some question whether the operation has been effective but police say they are still tackling the problems head on.

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Joanne Harvey has condemned the damage caused at Alderman Kneeshaw Park and insist officers patrol the area regularly.. She says they have been made aware of the damage caused at the weekend.

She said: "We have been made aware of reports of quad bikes being ridden antisocially on Alderman Kneeshaw Park playing fields on Valiant Drive on Saturday 14 October, causing damage.

“Our parks and playing fields are there to be enjoyed by our communities and it is totally unacceptable for them to be damaged. My team are patrolling in and around the area, engaging with the local community and working closely with partners to identify those involved.

“We would appeal for our communities to report any instances of anti-social behaviour or criminal damage to us on our 101 number.

“It is really important that you tell us about the issues in your local area as this informs our plans and allows us to take robust action against those committing offences. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to report crimes anonymously.”

https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/news/hull-east-yorkshire-news/fed-up-bilton-grange-resident-8837212

On 17/10/2023 07:01 pm, Simon Mason wrote:

> A fed up resident says reckless motorbike riders are causing problems in and around Alderman Kneeshaw Park in Bilton Grange at least once a week.

How many of them are on chav-bikes?

4 hrs ago

Ive seen near misses on the field as ive watched these clowns on stolen bikes no respect or care about anyone but themselves only way stop them put spikes down where they enter the parks thatll stop them.

4 hrs ago

Stop calling them motorcyclists! they are chavs and hoodies on stolen off road bikes and quads!

9 hrs ago

We have a similar problem on land adjacent to A1079 at Dunswell, although it is not football pitches they are destroying, it is the noise these bikes create. Every weekend the residents in the surrounding area are subjected to the noise of revving motorbikes for hours on end, which prevents us enjoying peace and tranquility in our own gardens, can even hear them in the house with windows and doors shut with tv/radio on, thus having a detriminal affect on the residents mental health. Police nor Council will do nothing about it, we've tried, they are not interested. We should not have to put up with this

18 hrs ago

Wrong uns, I've seen 1 pudding on a quad bike carrying a maybe 3 year old child on it, great job in instilling a sense of community in the child, also there's a bus shelter on Staveley that has been completely sprayed with mud from top to bottom by a quad, what lovely community minded citizens we have living round here, when the coppers eventually pull their fingers out and catch em they should force these vandals to watch their toys being crushed!