There's a new motoring menace terrorising our streets and it really grinds my gears

To paraphrase George Orwell, it's fair to say that the apathy shown by car drivers towards motorcyclists is often a case of "four wheels good, two wheels bad".

But just as being paranoid doesn't mean they're not after you, drivers who dislike (some) motorcyclists can harbour such feelings for very good reason. And the latest menace to hit our streets isn't going to do the motorcycling fraternity's rep any good.

I can't be the only one to have noticed an influx of two-wheeled terrors racing along, seemingly immune to the law, and failing to follow the rules of the road. One night last week I was sat watching telly when my ears pricked up at a loud noise coming from outside. I live in a relatively quiet part of East Lancashire so at around 1am this was highly unusual.

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I opened my front door and saw one of my neighbours stood on the pavement. He told me that he'd just seen three young lads, wearing balaclavas (and no helmets), doing 'donuts' on scrambler bikes before speeding off.

The very next day I visited my hairdresser and, in the same mysterious way that adverts on TV seem to be 'listening in to us', as we discussed our experiences of witnessing 'idiots on scrambler bikes' two happened to pass by the salon at high speed.

Neither were wearing helmets and neither bike had a registration plate. This prompted me to recall one incident, a few weeks ago, when I spotted a young lad on an un-plated motorcycle racing along the bus lane at Ewood. With no markings to identify the owner, he clearly (and rightly) thought that there would be no consequences of passing through the bus lane cameras.

Aside from their blatant law-breaking these motorcyclists are also playing fast and loose with their safety. They rarely wear helmets and their trackie bottoms will offer no protection against the harsh tarmac should they come off their bikes (which is highly likely given the manner of their riding).

And what can the police do about it? Very little, it seems. Officers either aren't allowed to, or are advised not to, chase motorcyclists who aren't wearing helmets due to the risk that a high speed collision will result in more serious injuries.

Furthermore, even if they were to give chase, motorcyclists can simply zip up a back alley or path, leaving four-wheeled police vehicles in their wake.

So what's the answer? More police officers on motorbikes/e-bikes? Disregard the 'no helmet - don't chase' guidance? I have no idea but I do know that this problem will only get worse until a solution is found.