MOTORBIKE thefts by gangs have become a daily occurrence in Swindon according to a community watch group.

A network of owners set up to try to prevent the raids has documented repeated incidents where thieves have broken into garages and sheds to get hold of motorcycles and quad bikes.

And it claims owners have been set upon by gangs and had their bikes stolen from under them.

Members have shot video of what they claim is joyriders using them on the streets.

But the group, Swindon Bikers, claims the police are doing little or nothing to stop the thefts, which have been happening in areas like Pinehurst, Penhill and north Swindon.

One bike owner who does not want to be named for fear of reprisals, said: “This has been going on for over a year now and it has got worse and worse.

“It used to be the odd one a week but now it has become a daily occurrence. They taunt their victims and have been allowed to get away with what they are doing.”

He said: “The police have done nothing to stop this disgusting behaviour and now it has been left to us to try and do something.”

Another told the Advertiser: “They are attacking people with weapons and trying to force people off the roads.

“The gang are like sharks waiting to attack their prey to get what they want, instead of working to earn these items they think they can just take what they want.”

The group claimed stolen bikes that had featured in appeals by victims on social medial were seen being ridden by joyriders over playing fields and public paths, some of them masked and without protective headgear.

The owners said they had attempted to enlist help from Wiltshire police to tackle the issue, but without success. “We have tried to organise a meeting with them, but nothing seems to have come from it,” said a spokesman.

The force told the Adver: “We are not aware of an increase in the theft of motorbikes, however we would encourage anyone who has been a victim of such thefts to report it to us via 101.”

But over the weekend officers found three stolen motorcycles inside a Penhill garage during a series of high-visibility patrols targeting antisocial behaviour.

And earlier in the summer Insp Andy Bridge said work was going on to reduce the number of illegal riders in the Pinehurst area. He appealed for help in tackling the problem. “As part of our on-going work we also need the public’s help in identifying these individuals, the majority of which live in our community,” he said. “Someone will know where they live, where they store these bikes and even where they get fuel from.”

Police are asking for the public’s assistance in in investigating the theft of the machines discovered in the garage on Heddington Close.