Youngsters on bikes spark park danger concerns
CALLS are being made for police action to stop youths riding motorbikes at two Llanelli beauty spots before they cause injury to the public.
Carmarthenshire county councillors Martyn Palfreman and Ed Skinner have received complaints of small motorbikes being driven by youths at excessive speed at Llanelli’s Sandy Water Park and Millennium Coastal Path.
The councillors for Hengoed said teenagers, some of whom have been masked, have been spotted not wearing helmets and riding towards people before veering away at the last minute.
The pair claim the bikers pose a “serious risk” to pedestrians and cyclists.
In a joint statement, they said: “We have been extremely concerned to hear of recent incidents involving the use of small motorbikes in the Sandy Water Park and Millennium Coastal Path areas.
“Not only is this irresponsible and inconsiderate, it poses a serious safety risk to pedestrians and cyclists in this beautiful part of our town.
“This is unacceptable and we have asked the police to urgently monitor the situation before there is a possible tragedy.
“We are also arranging urgent discussions with county council officers to agree a range of measures to deter this behaviour. We urge people in the area to take extra care and to let us know immediately of any further incidents of this nature.”
Llanelli town councillor Shaun Greaney, who regularly walks the area, said there had been a number of “near-misses” where youths had whizzed past families with young children.
On other occasions they have torn up the grass areas around the path and the Water Park, he said.
Cllr Greaney said: “There may well be a case for providing somewhere suitable for youngsters to ride bikes off-road, perhaps in a private field, but that does not excuse the kind of irresponsible behaviour these youths have been displaying in groups. They have also been seen racing around Llanelli town pulling wheelies. It’s an accident waiting to happen.
“It seems as if they are a law unto themselves and no-one is trying to do anything about it. They’ve driven towards families and cyclists and turned away at the last moment. It’s highly dangerous behaviour and I want to see police action on this sooner than later.”
Dyfed-Powys Police said it is aware of recent reports of anti-social and dangerous riding of motorbikes in the Llanelli area.
Carmarthenshire Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Justin Ellerton said: “We are aware of the issue and the concern that this understandably causes to those locally.
“Increased patrols are being undertaken by ourselves and we are also working alongside our partners at Carmarthenshire Council and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to tackle this issue.”
He added: “We are committed to working with our local community, and to help us tackle this issue we ask those who witness such incidents to contact police immediately so that prompt action can be taken against the perpetrators.
“For those who may have footage of reckless driving, we would encourage you to share this with us. By doing so, it allows us to collate evidence that may lead to identifying offenders and deal with them robustly.”