Sheffield's popular public BMX track has been vandalised for the second time this year by riders of electric motorcycles, causing extensive damage and threatening the future of the volunteer-run site.
Bolehills BMX track in Sheffield has suffered considerable damage at the hands of inconsiderate Surron riders just a few months before it was due to reopen after a major revamp. A post on the Bolehills instagram page reads “hate to be the purveyor of bad news, but if this continues this will be the end of Bolehills as you know it”. Alongside the message are photos of the damage to the rebuilt jumps, showing deep ruts on the lips and landings.
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The damage occurred on the 21st February, as Bolehills works towards a public reopening on May 3rd. “We’ve spent most days up there since start of February getting stuff ready for the opener on 3rd May. If setbacks like this keep happening we just don’t have the manpower or the time to keep fixing it up”, the post goes on to say.
40 years of history could be destroyed by the actions of a small minority of riders on Surron motorbikes
“It’s damaging a community, not just a track” said volunteer Dave Camus, speaking to BBC Yorkshire. “It’s really disheartening”, he went on to say, with the Bolehills BMX facility run by volunteers on a shoe-string budget.
Bolehills is used by riders of all abilities and backgrounds.
South Yorkshire’s Motorcycle and Rural Crime Team will be conducting regular patrols of the site, and encouraged anyone seeing illegal motorcycles or electric motorcycles using Bolehills to report it to the Police by calling 999. Offenders will be prosecuted and bikes will be seized.
This is not the first time the track has been targeted by illegal Surron use – in January it suffered similar damage after a rebuild.