Urgent calls are being made for police to take immediate action against illegal off-road bikes in Oldham amid claims bikers are dealing drugs, vandalizing areas, and threatening residents.

A letter has been sent to the chief superintendent from Greater Manchester Police's Oldham district, Phillip Hutchison demanding a targeted strategy to deal with off-road bikes.

The letter by councillors claims the bikes are being used illegally “as part of drug-dealing, antisocial behaviour, vandalization, and threatening behaviour towards local residents”.

Saddleworth West and Lees Cllr Sam Al-Hamdani says he receives “almost daily reports” of illegal off-road bikes and that residents have begun to give up reporting incidents to the police as they are not getting a response.

The Liberal Democrat councillor claims that the linear park which runs through Grotton and Springhead has become a hot spot for illegal bikers since the park’s barriers were removed to make it accessible to people in wheelchairs.

He said: “Local residents are kept up at night by roaring engines, and don’t get to take advantage of their beautiful environment because they are threatened and intimidated by bikers.

“When people don’t feel like their reports are being taken seriously, it undermines confidence in the police as a whole. People have to know that something is being done.”

In response to the letter chief superintendent Phillip Hutchinson has appointed a single point of contact for councillors and urged residents to continue reporting illegal bikers.

He said: "The nuisance of off-road bikes is something that our neighbourhood officers are committed to tackling, including the offences that can be associated with them: anti-social behaviour, drug-dealing, and theft will always be robustly dealt with.

"I appreciate that people have concerns about the bikes, and I would ask residents to keep reporting, as it helps us to build our intelligence going forward and enables us to identify suspects.

"I have appointed a single point of contact for local councillors, and we will continue to work closely with partners in the community in order to keep our streets safe from criminality."

Chadderton Cllr Chris Goodwin said Oldham Council is “fully aware” of the growing concern among residents and is working closely with GMP to tackle the issue of illegal off-road bikes.

He added: “We understand that this behaviour is causing worry and disruption, and we want to assure residents that we are taking this seriously.

"Riding off-road bikes illegally on public roads is dangerous for both riders, motorists, and pedestrians, and it also creates noise and potential damage to public property.

"Our residents' safety is a top priority, and we are working closely with Greater Manchester Police to tackle this issue and enforce the rules.”