Youths on motorbikes and off-road bikes are causing misery for residents in Oldham with the vehicles frequently spotted driving 'dangerously' on pavements and even wrecking grass near a church.
Social media posts slamming the riders of the bikes have, in particular, been a repeated feature of a local Royton group in recent weeks.
One user said he saw "two lads" on an orange motorbike and even claimed he was threatened after he criticised them riding on the pavement.
Another user said she had seen the same bike, also riding on the pavement and that the rider was wearing no protective equipment, including not wearing a helmet and that he had a balaclava on.
She said: "He's going to do some damage on that bike, the way he's racing around."
In the comments of another post a woman said a bike was spotted on Middleton Road doing wheelies in the middle of the road then on a footpath despite dog walkers being out.
Others have accused a rider of riding on lawn areas near Saint Paul's Church and said there were children playing on there at the time, as well as riding on the bowling green at Royton Park.
The issue has been persisting for some time, with posts in the same group which discuss riders doing similar things, such as doing wheelies and running red lights on Rochdale Road and not wearing a helmet, going back to February 2023.
A wider problem across Oldham, videos in a separate group show around six people on Ripponden Road, all dressed in black and none with helmets, repeatedly riding on their rear wheels and weaving in and out of side streets.
At one point in the video, they look to turn down a side street as a mother is crossing the road with her young child.
Responding to a call out from The Oldham Times, users also said they had issues in High Crompton, Derker, Shaw and along Broadway- a major road through Chadderton.
A video also shows the commonly mentioned orange bike speeding through Clayton Playing Fields in Chadderton, during children's football practices.
The recent surge in complaints comes as Greater Manchester Police launched a specialist operation to tackle anti-social behaviour on motorbikes, e-bikes and quadbikes.
Superintendent John-Paul Ruffle from our Prevention Branch said: “We understand the majority of motorbike, e-bike and quadbike riders, use their vehicles in a safe and considerate manner and abide by the law.
"But, sadly, there are those that don’t and this poses a serious risk to not only themselves, but other road users also.
"While some people may use off-road bikes in the way they were intended, others use them to ruin parks, playing fields and flagrantly violate traffic laws - which is exactly what this operation is intending to prevent.
“We will use every tool at our disposal, which includes specialist GMP resources to crackdown on this type of crime. I would also like to encourage residents to report incidents to us so we can take appropriate action.
“If you know who is using motorcycles anti-socially or to commit crime, let us know.
"Report online or call Greater Manchester Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
“We also want to know where these bikes are being stored. Please reach out if you have any information that will help us in our quest to reduce motorcycle-related crime."
GMP will compile a list of hotspots and begin monitoring the areas the behaviour is most present in coming months.
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