Those living with nuisance bikers making noise and performing stunts outside their homes for more than 30 years say the anti-social behaviour cannot be ignored any longer.

Every Wednesday night from March to October, bikers congregate, often in their hundreds, to show off tricks, race cars and film their antics on a stretch of the A20 London Road, in Wrotham outside the former Oakdene Café.

It has been a problem since the late 1980s when the café first opened and started offering 'biker nights'.

But after 37 years of trade, the café closed in January and was demolished soon after to make way for the expansion of the Nepicar Park industrial Estate.

Despite the closure the problems have continued and after a terrible accident just weeks ago, residents have had enough.

A motorcyclist was airlifted to a London hospital in a critical condition after a head-on collision with another biker.

It happened at around 7.30pm on June 23 at the junction with the A20 London Road and Gasoline Alley.

The second motorcyclist was also taken to hospital by road.

Both remain in a serious but stable condition.

Cllr Harry Rayner, a long standing Member of Wrotham Parish Council and the Kent County Councillor for Malling West, said this incident has prompted officials to finally take action.

The conservative councillor added: "I was there at the time of the crash and it was horrendous. Both will have life changing injuries, no question.

"The accident has given greater impetus to police and KCC officers to actually start moving in a way they should have done perhaps at the start of the closure of the Oakdene Café.

"Police can't use the excuse that the café is offering hospitality to them any more because they are closed.

"We have traffic laws being broken in flagrant disregard of the highway code and the police defence is they don't have enough staff.

"When the accident happened, there were nine police vehicles, two air ambulances and a fire engine.

"If they can turn that out for an accident, why can't those resources be used to attend a regular event?"

One resident who moved in 35 years ago says he is forced to call police every Wednesday for eight months of the year as the noise can go on for several hours.

Despite the fact the bikers have tarnished her business's name, Janet Jevons the former owner of Oakdene Café, says as the accident happened when she was closed it proves the nuisance bikers had nothing to do with her business.

The 76-year-old said: "I was told from the very first day I left that they were still going there to do stunts.

"It was always the same three or four people every time and the ones causing the problems were not even my customers.

"I never encouraged anyone to behave like that. I put boards out on the road saying please don't do this. I gave leaflets out saying someone was going to get hurt. I put notices all around the café.

"I hope people can see now that it was not me because people were really quite nasty.

"We have traffic laws being broken in flagrant disregard of the highway code ..."

"It used to break my heart that somebody could have been killed and people thought it was my fault. If I was still there I'm sure I would have been blamed for it."

In 2019 she was even warned by police they were considering closing the eatery to stop the anti-social riding.

Before it was knocked down, the bikers could be contained on the forecourt of the Oakdene Café but now they are spilling out into a closed off lay-by opposite which is owned by Kent County Council (KCC).

Despite the fact the lay-by is technically closed and cordoned off, it hasn't stopped motorcyclists moving the barriers to access the space.

Tony Scott, who owns TS Motorsport in neighbouring Gasoline Alley, feels the problem has become even worse since the café was demolished.

The 61-year-old said: "I have been in the racing game for 30 years and as somebody who actually runs a British superbike team, I've been out there once or twice myself as a fellow biker to tell them this is not the place to do it.

"I said it was going to end in tears, and now that time has arrived.

"I think it has got worse since the café closed because now they haven't got a venue so they all pile out onto the fringes of the road which in many ways gives a greater audience to those that come down to perform.

"They go up the entire length of the road from the roundabout under the motorway right the way up to the Shell petrol station. I'm surprised it has taken this long for there to be an accident."

With the hope of prompting change, Cllr Rayner is holding a meeting with KCC highways officers and Kent Police on Friday to discuss the next steps.

Kent Police say dispersal orders have now been issued in response to large gatherings of motorcyclists, which also include reported incidents of dangerous driving.

Roads within the dispersal area include those between the roundabout junction of the M26 and the roundabout junction of the A227 and Bull Lane.

Insp Lizzie Jones, of the Tonbridge and Malling Community Safety Unit, said: "During the summer months a common complaint in this area is that residents suffer from noise and anti-social behaviour as a result of these gatherings.

"The manner in which some of these motorcyclists ride also puts themselves in danger, as well as other road users.

"We are continuing to proactively patrol this area, with support from officers from our Roads Safety Unit.

"Any group of two or more people found causing or likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress will be told to leave. Those who return risk being arrested."

To get the latest updates in ongoing cases, police appeals and criminals put behind bars, click here

Read more: All the latest news from Sevenoaks

Read more: All the latest news from Malling