YOUNGSTERS are being warned to behave on the roads after a reckless young cyclist was caught swerving in front of traffic on a dash cam.

Mandi Wilson was returning to her home in Thorpe following a shopping trip when she came across a trio of young cyclists in Harwich Road, Little Clacton, on Saturday afternoon.

Her shocking video footage shows a boy, aged in his early teens, swerve in front of a number of vehicles, including a van close to Thorpe railway bridge.

Mrs Wilson said: “I became aware of them just after Plough Corner. They were clearly messing about in the road with their bikes, blocking the road.

“I just sat behind them. I was too scared to overtake them.

"The boy was swerving all over the place, buzzing a cyclist coming in the other direction.

“Every time I wanted to move to go round, the boy swerved.

“A lot of people suggested that I report it to the police, but I think this is about parenting.

“When my children were that age, I think I would have wanted to know about it.

“I’m not keen on criminalising them, but they could have been killed. They are kids at the end of the day.”

Mrs Wilson said there was a queue of about 20 cars behind her on the road, although one frustrated motorists overtook and confronted the cyclists.

She added: “I'm hoping that the parents are decent people and will take their bikes and ground them for the rest of the summer.”

Clacton and Frinton Gazette:

Chief Insp Russ Cole, district commander, called on youngsters to behave – or they could face police action.

“My advice to them is to not cycle like that on the road – they must be aware of their own safety," he said.

“I want to encourage kids to go out and explore the countryside on their bikes, but you can’t cycle on the B1414 likes it’s the Tour de France.

“The last thing I want to do is be picking them up from the road and calling their mum and dad.

“If they cycle in such a dangerous way they can be brought to book and there are criminal offences we could pursue.

“But for me education is the best way forward.”

Mr Cole said he would be speaking to Tendring’s Community Safety Partnership and the Safer Roads Partnership about the incident.