The team at the golf course are at the ‘end of their tether’ following a serious esclation in yobbish behaviour
An e-biker captured on CCTV riding into the golf club’s grounds(Image: Supplied)
The management team at a Nottingham golf club say they are at the “end of their tether” as e-bikers run riot at the course.
Bulwell Forest Golf Club, situated off Hucknall Road, has faced problems with off-road bikers for years, but a string of recent serious incidents has left members feeling “unsafe”.
This includes an instance of a golfer being beaten up and run over by a gang, just weeks after the club’s golf course manager was threatened with a machete.
On October 30, the golf course was also forced to close for the day after thousands of pounds worth of damage was caused by bikers who left skid marks all over the greens.
A member of the golf club’s management, who wished not to be named due to fears for his safety, said he was “angry and frustrated” with police, who he believes are doing nowhere near enough to tackle the problem.
“It’s just accepted that [the bikers] can cruise around without tax, MOTs or insurance. That’s just how things are now,” he said.
“It’s becoming the norm and these people are getting more and more confident and more daring because there’s nothing to stop them.”
Nottinghamshire Police said they were in talks with Nottingham City Council to see how off-road bikers could be stopped from accessing the course.
The force also said they conducted “regular days of action to try and cut out this behaviour”.
The golf club manager said he saw people on e-scooters causing havoc on the roads and golf course on a daily basis.
They had only been a “nuisance” up until recent months, with the manager previously urging members to “let them be”.
But recent events have seen the situation “come to a head”, he said, mentioning the attack on one of the club’s members around six weeks ago.
“They knocked him over, beat him up and kicked him. While he was on the floor they ran him over several times,” he said.
The attack left the golfer, aged in his 30s, needing an operation on his stomach, however the investigation was dropped by police due to a lack of evidence.
“Now it’s come to a head. They’ve damaged it so bad we’ve had to close. I’ve got to the end of my tether with it,” said the manager.
“The members are getting frustrated and feel unsafe on the golf course.
“It makes me angry and frustrated. If a policeman was to sit in my office for two days he’d see seven or eight motorbikes passing through the car park.”
The damage that was done to the golf course on October 30(Image: Steve Wells)
Inspector Paul Ferguson, neighbourhood inspector for the city north, said: “Let me be clear, this type of violent or threatening behaviour simply will not be tolerated, and we will always seek to charge anyone suspected of involvement.
“Reports concerning off-road bikers are some of the most common ASB reports we receive in Bulwell Forest, which is why we do so much as a neighbourhood policing team to try and tackle this problem.
“We regularly complete days of action to try and cut out this behaviour, which will typically see us work with officers from the force’s off-road bike and drone teams to spot and take action against anyone speeding around the fields.
“While we obviously can’t be on hand all the time to put a stop to these offences, the hope is these types of operations and the daily visible patrols we conduct around the golf club grounds provide a crime deterrent.”
Sarita-Marie Rehman-Wall, Labour councillor for Bulwell Forest at Nottingham City Council, said the attack on the golfer was “absolutely disgusting”.
“This is a massive, massive escalation,” she said, adding that issues with off-road bikers was a “massive issue” across her ward.
“I’ve raised it on several occasions. The bikes are being used to run around the area, mowing people down and causing anti-social behaviour,” she said.
“Pedestrians have a right to feel safe walking down the pavement. I’m going to fight tooth and nail to make sure something is done.”
Insp Ferguson added: “Anyone who acts in an anti-social manner – whether that be flying around on bikes, threatening people, or causing criminal damage – needs to know that this behaviour will not be tolerated.
“Our neighbourhood team will always look to take action should we receive any reports of this type of behaviour, so we would urge the community to continue reporting this to us.
“We also want to hear from anyone who knows where these bikes are being housed, so that we can seize them.”
