THURROCK Council could be set to call time on nuisance bikers who have caused fatal accidents in the borough reports the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
Joycelyn Redsell, Conservative councillor for Little Thurrock and Blackshots put forward a motion at a budget council meeting on Wednesday to bring in a borough-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to target nuisance bikers.
The problem has been growing for sometime and has seen police targeting hotspots in the borough with some success but Ms Redsell said more needs to be done to eradicate the problem once and for all.
At the council meeting it was agreed the motion will go to cabinet but time constraints on the meeting meant it couldn’t be debated.
Ms Redsell said: “They have agreed to look at and it will go to cabinet. I think it will be alright. We have got to work between the police and the council on what is a borough wide nuisance.
“We already have a PSPO in Blackshots field to stop drinking and that’s worked well. It has to a borough thing with everyone working together. Two people were killed and one maimed last year so they can’t say we’ll do it if people get killed.”
Ms Redsell added: “They use social media to bring people down. We didn’t get to discuss because of the time scale but I don’t think it will be far away.”
The motion said: “Irresponsible riders of motorbikes and other similar vehicles misusing public and private land are putting our resident’s lives and wellbeing at risk.
.” I call on the relevant authority to implement a borough wide PSPO to prevent the unlawful use of these vehicles where the residents have lawful access. This will help protect residents across Thurrock and also make it easier for the police and council to take action.”
PSPOs allow council officers to issue fines backed up by police if necessary.
Commenting on the motion, a council officer’s report said the order may have to be targeted to specific areas. It said: “It is very unlikely given the statutory guidance that a single order covering all open spaces within the borough equally will meet the necessary legal tests, however an order targeting those sites which are proportionate across the borough may meet the tests providing that the evidence supports this.”
