POLICE will be targeting two issues in Rubery where motor vehicles are being used illegally.
At the virtual Rubery Community Meeting on Friday, residents expressed concerns about young drivers in modified cars using the village’s streets as a race track and Coun Peter McDonald spoke about off-road bikes, quad bikes and scooters being ridden dangerously on the Lickey Hills.
As well as the speed issue, the souped up cars had loud exhausts and the noise was making people’s lives a misery.
Sgt Steve O’Neill, from Bromsgrove Police, said the matter had been discussed in the past few weeks with residents and his officers and patrols were being stepped up to clampdown on the issue and in a bid to catch the culprits.
On the off-road bikes, Coun Peter McDonald said: “These riders, who were on Beacon Hill last Wednesday, do not care about their lives or anyone else’s.
“They also have no regard to the damage they cause to what is a much-loved beauty spot enjoyed by so many.”
He requested CCTV be put up in hot spots and at entrances to the country park.
“If nothing is done, someone will be killed by their actions.”
One of the incidents back in 2018 (pictured) saw riders threaten dog walkers when they tried to film their antics, deliberately spinning their back wheel to cover the person filming in dirt.
Sgt O’Neill spoke about the difficulty of catching the riders because of where they were going – off-road on the hills and it was difficult for police to get access to pursue them.
Officers would need to catch them as they entered or exited the park or track them down – if information about the riders, their bikes and where they were stored could be provided by the public.
Coun Adrian Kriss asked if there were any specially trained officers on their own off-road bikes who could pursue them, as had happened a few years ago.
Sgt O’Neill added: “I will certainly ask the question – people do tend to move on from their roles or change areas so I’m not sure if we have got the officers with the right skills or the bikes needed.”
He would, he said, find out and report back.
Anyone with any information on cars being driven or bikes being ridden illegally in Rubery can report it to police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
