A COUNTRY park needs to be patrolled overnight to stop nuisance bikers causing havoc, according to frustrated councillors.

Canvey Heights has found itself the target of antisocial behaviour once again, with youngsters on scramble bikes riding on fields after dark.

Their actions have been branded dangerous, with the noise from the bikes also keeping islanders awake.

Dave Blackwell, leader of the Canvey Independent Party, has even offered to lock the park up every evening in a bid to keep the troublemakers out.

He said: “Those bikers are a real pain, and they cause problems all across the island.

“I think we need to make sure there’s no way of them getting into the park, I only live a few hundred yards away and would lock it all up myself.

“The scramble bikes are there until all hours. and you can hear them right across Canvey.”

Town mayor Martin Tucker believes it is “virtually impossible to stop” the bikers due to the size of Canvey Heights, off Creek Road.

He believes the key to solving the problem is to build a scramble track in south Essex to give bikers a safe way of “letting off steam.”

He said: “I am not sure we could fit a track on Canvey, but I think there should be something for them to be able to ride safely.

“Only a serious accident will stop them right now, and it can’t carry on like this. It is so difficult to catch them.

“They weave in and out of the lake which has more than a dozen entry and exit points.”

Tom Skipp, councillor responsible for environment in Castle Point insists the problem is not just restricted to the island and affects the mainland too.

He said council is doing all it can to deter nuisance bikers - and already locks the gates overnight.

He said: “I think because they don’t have a number plate, it is hard to identify them, so it makes our job very difficult.

“We do lock Canvey Heights of a night, but there are numerous ways of getting into the park unfortunately. It happens on the mainland too with these bikes, people need to be vigilant and get as much information as possible to identify these bikers.”