BIKER NEWS: Hundreds of bikers shut down London streets in Halloween rideout

BIKER NEWS -- A convoy of hundreds of motorbikes, mopeds and quad bikes rode through southLondon setting off fireworks on Saturday night for a “Halloween Rideout” that had been coordinated on social media.

At least 200 riders were seen on streets from Lambeth to Bromley, allegedly jumping red lights, mounting pavements and provoking a number of complaints to the police at around the same time as an illegal rave near Vauxhall turned violent.

Sightings were posted on social media, with witnesses saying that a large group of riders had splintered into smaller gangs that set of fireworks near to main roads.

Daniel Trilling, editor of the New Humanist, tweeted: “Hundreds of masked people riding motorbikes and quad bikes en masse over south London roads and pavements. Had to jump out of their way.”

Sgt Nathan Shickle of Battersea police station said at the time: ‏“We’re getting a few calls relating to large groups of motorbikes and motorcycles riding antisocially. Report concerns to us on 101.”

Reports came from Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, Greenwich, Croydon and Bromley. At its peak, there are said to have been over 200 riders in one large body, who brought a high level of disruption to traffic in Brixton and Streatham.

A Facebook page aimed at London bikers, UK Raise It Up, had called on supporters to join the Halloween ride at the end of last month. On Saturday morning they wrote a post under the heading “Halloween Rideout” asking riders to send private messages to get information about the plans for the evening.

Shortly before the riders were first seen amassing in south London, a video was uploaded of a man wearing a balaclava, who said: “When we get to the linkup spot, I want to make sure that everyone turns their lights off, everyone turns their bikes off. Make sure you have petrol before you leave, because I don’t want to stop.”

Lambeth Metropolitan police responded to complaints that police were not going after the riders by tweeting: “Only specialist trained officers can stop motorcyclists. Need to coordinate them.”

Some videos have been uploaded to YouTube calling the event a “Halloween Shutdown”, showing gangs of young riders. Similar gatherings took place last year, but on a smaller scale.

This year, there were also reports of bikers letting off fireworks as they rode, mounting the pavement to avoid stopping in traffic, and cutting dangerously between cars.

Motorbike-assisted crime has gone up by 144% in the past year, and there is growing concern about the rise in the number of young riders in the capital.

This article was first published on 1 November 2015 16.48 GMT

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