Call to stop 'dangerous' biker meets in Alperton

Local authorities are being urged by residents in north-west London to stop weekly antisocial motorbike meets that have become a "predictable feature of life" every Friday evening.

Residents of the Grand Union housing development on Beresford Road, Alperton say they have repeatedly raised concerns about ongoing and excessive engine revving, dangerous driving, and significant littering caused by the group of bikers.

The Metropolitan Police has said this is a "well known" issue to its Safer Neighbourhood Team (SNT) and is subject to "ongoing monitoring, patrol activity and enforcement".

Brent Council has said it is working with police and using its legal powers to curb the issue.

Councillor Anton Georgiou, who represents Alperton, has called for a "coordinated approach, proper enforcement, and a clear message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated".

"We have raised concerns about the dangerous riding of motorbikes, vehicles revving their engines and litter being left on the road, but residents are still waiting for meaningful action," he added.

"The council, police and other agencies need to stop working in silos and come together to get this sorted."

Jamie, who lives in Grand Union, said: "The issue affects not only residents but also local businesses, visitors, road users and taxpayers who ultimately bear the cost of repeated clean-up operations and the wider consequences of unmanaged antisocial behaviour."

He said although the authorities had acknowledged the issue, he wanted to see that recognition "translated into meaningful action".

SNT has said it has adopted a multi-agency approach to identify long-term solutions and coordinate appropriate action, and have referred the issue to Brent Joint Action Group (BJAG).

Despite Brent Council's Nuisance Vehicle PSPO, which gives it "important powers to take enforcement action", not all vehicle-related antisocial behaviour has been stopped.

The council claims that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) has identified vehicles using false or cloned number plates, which presents "an additional challenge identifying those responsible".

A council spokesperson added: "Residents should be able to live without being subjected to persistent nuisance and antisocial behaviour.

"We will continue working with the Metropolitan Police and using the powers available to us to tackle those responsible and deter this behaviour."

The council has also said it will continue to explore additional measures, such as High Court injunctions, "which have been used successfully by other councils to tackle organised vehicle meets".

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