Residents on Southampton estates are calling for a crackdown on yobs making their lives a misery and using footpaths and wooded areas as motorbike tracks.

Now a public meeting will take place so they can quiz police about the antisocial and dangerous behaviour.

Residents in Lordshill, Lordswood, Aldermoor and Coxford are plagued by youths speeding around wooded areas and footpaths on motorbikes and mopeds.

But residents say the police and the council are not listening to them and fear the antisocial behaviour could claim lives.

The Daily Echo reported how granddad Derek Watts, 54, called police more than a dozen times about the youths racing down a footpath behind his house every evening.

His eight-year-old granddaughter narrowly avoided getting knocked over by one of the bikers, who ride without helmets and number plates.

He said the gangs use the footpath alongside his home in Viking Close, Lordshill, to get to Five Acre Fields and added: “All it needs is somebody to walk out on to the footpath and bang they are dead.”

Now Labour ward councillors Keith Morrell and Don Thomas have arranged a public meeting to put authorities on the spot. Southampton Test MP Alan Whitehead, police officers from the Coxford Safer Neighbourhoods Team, officers of Southampton City Council, the Forestry Commission and other agencies will all attend. Councillor Morrell said: “What may be just a laugh to these youngsters is a terrible nuisance and danger for residents. The police have had some success but have limited resources. More needs to be done, so we hope that this meeting will be the beginning of much closer cooperation between residents and police in dealing with this very serious and challenging problem.”

Councillor Don Thomas said: “Only by working together, and everyone taken responsibility, the community, the police, politicians, council agencies, each and every one of us, can we seriously beat the menace of unlawful motorbikes in our area, enough is enough.”

The meeting will take place at 7pm on Friday, November 19 at Lordshill Church, at Lordshill District Centre.