DASHCAM footage has revealed a number of people illegally riding off-road bikes through Astley Bridge.

Two separate videos sent into The Bolton News show a total of five off-road motorbikes riding through Barlow Park Avenue and , within two minutes of each other.

None of the bikes have visible registration plates and in one of the clips, two riders are wearing hoodies with no helmets or other visible protective gear.

They are also coming from the direction of Barlow Park, where a number of cases of vandalism have been reported in the past year.

There are also Section 59 warnings up near the park forbidding 'anti-social use of vehicles' such as off-road bikes.

The owner of the footage, who does not wish to be named, also claims to have passed the footage on to the police.

He said: "Bikes have ripped the cricket ground and football pitches up so they're unusable.

"It's an ongoing issue which has been going on for years but nobody seems to care.

"If I got caught driving my car with no insurance I'd get sent to court."

In recent months, vandals on bikes have also driven across Leverhulme Park and a park in Smithills where Moss Bank Juniors Football Club play.

READ MORE: Scrambler bike seized in crackdown on off-road bikers

Councillor for Astley Bridge Hilary Fairclough described the bikes as a "big problem" and has requested a special 'task force' from Greater Manchester Police to help deal with the issue.

She said: "It is a big problem in the Barlow Park area although it's not exclusive to that area.

"I know police in other areas have task forces and I've asked if we could possible get one in Astley Bridge.

"It is very annoying but it's a safety issue as well. They may think it's just a bit of fun but they're uninsured so if they hurt a child, an adult or even themselves there could be absolute devastation.

"I'm a big supporter of these bikes being removed and crushed."

In October 2018, a major police operation was carried out in Astley Bridge, Johnson Fold, Hall i’th’ Wood, and Breightmet following more than complaints about nuisance motorcyclists.

In less than five hours, police officers seized a number of vehicles and gathered vital intelligence from members of the public.

At the time, Inspector Nicola Williams, who organised the operation, said: “We are working extremely hard to combat the problem but due to our limited resources and capabilities, we are unable to stop these bikers.

"We want to keep working with people and ask them to continue providing us with intelligence by calling 101 if they see off-road bikers so we can send our resources to specific locations.”