LONG-SUFFERING farmers have asked police to catch bikers from The Leys who are damaging their land.

The Gibson family, who run Sandford Brake Farm off Grenoble Road, have yet to find a way to stop people trespassing on the land, which can be accessed from a public footpath.

Up to a dozen riders at a time aged from their mid-teens to their 30s have been racing around the farm at night on off-road bikes.

This year no crops are being grown to keep the land healthy but tracks are being left in the grass.

Anna Gibson, 43, said: “We have put our land down to grass this year and they seem to think it’s open season to ride their bikes where they please.

“You will get 10 children on their bikes riding up and down without any safety equipment.

“We tell them they are not allowed to be there and it’s illegal, but they have made themselves a motorbike track on one of our fields. It feels like a lack of respect.”

Despite repeated warnings from the family the intruders continue to race on the footpath, which is 400 yards from the farm’s offices, at upwards of 50 miles per hour.

Anna’s father, Peter Gibson, 65, added: “It’s very dangerous and such a nuisance for local residents.

“They are there until it gets dark and are very noisy, especially in the summer months.

“I wanted to put up a barrier but wheelchair access would be a problem, and it would cost a fortune to put in cameras.

“Police have been good but I would like to see them more actively involved.”

One man in his 30s has reportedly been issued with a Section 59 Notice, a written warning for people breaking the Road Traffic Act by riding carelessly and causing alarm or distress to other members of the public.

Police can seize the motorcycle if the person persists.

At a meeting of Blackbird Leys Parish Council last month, PCSO Barry Sheehan said: “We have been getting a lot more calls about bikes up on the farm.

“We have a new generation of people that have suddenly bought bikes. Unfortunately they are all coming from the estate.

“We have seen at least three imported Japanese pit bikes.

“It’s a very distinctive bike and we are seeing a lot more of these bikes on the estate at the moment.

“A lot of people seem to have bought them.”

He added: “The problem is identifying people. They see us coming, and then they’re gone.”