GMP off-road biker unit will need Bolton public's help

This comes after reports earlier this month that a dedicated police unit would be deployed to Little Lever and other areas hit by nuisance bikers.

But the unit’s work crackdown on bikers will be “intelligence led” meaning that people will need to report concerns themselves to help prompt action.

Cllr Liam Barnard, of Little Lever and Darcy Lever, said: “What this means for our residents is that the more the report incidents like these, then the more likely it will be that Greater Manchester Police (GMP) will deploy these units, because they are intelligence led.”

He added: “I’ve been speaking to my neighbours around the Dovebank estate and they have a lot of concerns about off-road bikers.

A police dispersal order was recently authorised for the area around Tesco in Little Lever (Image: GMP)

“But it's not just there, it's also around Mytham Park that people have raised concerns and all around Little Lever.”

Cllr Barnard had put a motion to the council in March calling on the chief executive to write to GMP asking for more to be done to tackle off-road bikers.

GMP had announced earlier in April that the force planned to reestablish a specialist off-road bike unit in response to rising complaints.

The unit will operate across the region and will respond to reports from communities along with data analysis when deciding where to deploy.  

Bikers churning up the landscape and alarming pedestrians had been reported as a cause of concern not just in Little Lever but also in Breightmet and Astley Bridge.

Further afield Oldham and Stockport have also reported problems with off-road bikers.

Along with off-road bikers, Little Lever has also been hit by more wide ranging crime and anti-social behaviour concerns over recent months.

Towards the end of last month police authorised “dispersal orders” for two days running giving them enhanced powers to order people to leave the area.

Cllr Barnard said: “This was separate from the off-road bikers issue.

“In terms of the concerns around anti-social behaviour, I think all these kinds of things all play into it but these orders were more to stop gangs of youths from hanging around outside the Tesco area.”

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The specialist off-road biker unit is expected to be deployed over the coming weeks.

A GMP letter sent to the council said: “In the coming weeks, a dedicated unit will be launched to tackle this problem head-on.

“This unit will operate on an intelligence-led basis, utilising regular analysis of data and trends to effectively deploy resources across Greater Manchester.

“Rest assured, the re-establishment of this specialised unit underscores our commitment to tackling the persistent problems caused by off-road bikes.”