Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Warning after claims young cyclists are playing “chicken” with motorists

Councillor Isobel Davidson in the centre of Ellon where a gang of youths are causing a nuisance on bikes.    
Picture by Kami Thomson
Councillor Isobel Davidson in the centre of Ellon where a gang of youths are causing a nuisance on bikes. Picture by Kami Thomson

Police have issued a warning to “reckless” young cyclists putting lives at risk amid complaints they are playing “chicken” with motorists.

A group of youths in Ellon have also been seen doing wheelies in front of cars, according to concerned locals, with residents speaking of regular “near misses”.

Police in the town said they have not had any specific incidents reported to them and are now encouraging people to pick up the phone.

But they appealed to parents not to allow their children to put themselves and others in danger.

One resident, who did not wish to be named, said: “Someone is going to get hurt. Just days ago one came up to the roundabout beside the jewellers and cycled right over the top of it.

“I have also seen them weave in and out of traffic – they aren’t wearing helmets or any reflective clothing.”

Another told the Press and Journal he was forced to slam his brakes on when a cyclist stopped right in front of his car.

He added: “They are a menace – It is only a matter of time before one of them gets hit by a car.”

Councillor Gillian Owen was the victim of vandalism last week, when a large potted plant was thrown through a window of her Ellon home.

Although she praised the police’s rapid response to that incident, she believes a neighbourhood watch scheme might be needed to deal with the wider antisocial behavour.

She said: “The flowers and bulbs planted by Civic Pride were ripped from their beds and youths on bikes have been meandering through the traffic.

“This was Ellon’s summer – they are terrorising the town.

“I am personally disappointed that despite repeated requests, from my own situation and comments from others, that the police seem powerless to deal with these issues.

“I therefore believe that we as a community need to come together to act.”

Fellow councillor Isobel Davidson said “all too often” people were not reporting incidents to the police.

Inspector Graeme Penny said: “Playing on or near roads is not safe. Those who choose to involve themselves in such reckless behaviour risk not only their own safety but that of other motorists and road users. I would encourage parents to ensure they know where their children are and that they are safe.

“While there have not been any incidents reported to police we would urge anyone with any information or concerns relating to this to contact us on 101.”