A COUNCILLOR has repeated her warning to off-road bikers after taking them on earlier this year.

Cllr Hilary Fairclough has previously spoken to police about the nuisance of off-road bikers, after receiving a spate of complaints from concerned residents over a period of several months at the start of the year.

The bikes have torn up turf, lawns and playing fields in Astley Bridge and beyond, while their noise is the cause of nuisance for many residents.

And Cllr Fairclough has reiterated her desire for off-road bikers to be clamped down on - adding that the risk to themselves and others is just too much.

She said: “The problem is that these bikes in the main are uninsured and illegal - it amazes me that their haven’t been more injuries and accidents on the roads.

“In the Astley Bridge area, things have quietened down a bit recently and the police have done a lot of work in the area to try and bring the number of bikers down.

“I would say they have done a reasonable job given the resources that they have - but the group that works on these sort of offences covers the entirety of Greater Manchester. It isn’t enough but they are doing what they can.”

And Cllr Fairclough added that she hoped the youngsters who ride about are aware of the dangers and risks that they put themselves in.

She added: “I know a lot of these young men -and sometimes women - just want to have a good time but they just don’t think about the consequences. They are taking illegal risks and could injure themselves or someone else. There are places where the can go to be on these bikes.”

Greater Manchester Police’s website states that while quad bikes, three-wheeled bikes, trail bikes and some other two-wheeled vehicles are built for off-road use, “it is against the law to ride them in public parks or on publicly-owned land without permission from the local authority.”

As with any unlicensed powered vehicles, it is stated, they can only be used on private roads or land with the road or land-owner’s permission.