OFF-ROAD motorbikes being ridden dangerously are making the lives of people in a community a misery.

Residents living on Rothesay Road in Shadsworth, Blackburn, said off-road vehicles are being driven in an antisocial way day and night with riders seen doing ‘wheelies’.

Cllr Jim Shorrock, who represents the area, said he has received numerous complaints from residents who said the road is used as a ‘rat run’ by the bikers.

He said: “They’re are people going up and down Rothesay Road and around Shadsworth on off-road bikes causing a nuisance.

“The speed limit is 20mph yet you’ve got people going 30, 40 and even 50mph on these off-road bikes.

“They are using the area as a rat run and these bikes don’t have any registration numbers on them and are making a lot of noise.

“They’re all off-road bikes such as quad bikes with 125 to 150cc engines.

"These people who aren’t just young people are causing terror for residents and behaving in an anti-social way day and night.

“I’ve had numerous complaints about it and it’s been an issue for a while now and always flares up in the summer months.”

Cllr Shorrock, who is the mayor of Blackburn with Darwen, said he has raised the issue with police but that nothing is being done about it.

Off-road vehicles can only be used where the rider has the permission of the landowner or a legal authority, or on an approved site.

He said: “You make a complaint and the police give you a log number and that’s it.

“These people then think they can get away with it and if the police do come, they can just go off on the Arran trail, which is an area of woodland at the back of the estate from Rothesay Road.

“More police officers are needed to clamp down on this and seize the bikes but it’s difficult for them as there resources have been cut so significantly.”

Resident Gordon Almond, who lives on nearby Troon Avenue, said he has seen people doing wheelies up and down Rothesay Road.

He said: “They’re creating so much noise and are a real nuisance.

“The police don’t do anything and they’re buying more and more bikes and you’ve got a gang of them now.

“Something needs to be done,” he added.

A police spokesman said they were aware of the issue and have extra neighbourhood patrols and officers from their Tactical Operations Unit in the area to address the concerns.

The spokesman added: “We share the frustrations of residents who see reckless behaviour from these illegal riders.

“These individuals pose a danger to pedestrians and other road users, and the consequences of their illegal use can devastate families."

Call police on 101.