Hampshire police hunting gang of men armed with machetes and riding on motorbikes near popular leisure centre

The incident took place yesterday afternoon, at 1.26pm when it was reported to police that three males had been seen riding two motorbikes will appearing to be armed with the blades.

The thugs were driving across the grassy area between International Way and Kingsclere Avenue, in Southampton.

Police said the bikes remained in the area for a short time before driving along Burghclere Road and then on towards Chamberlayne Leisure Centre in Weston Lane.

A spokesman for Hampshire police said: ‘We are not aware of anyone being injured or threatened by the three males.

‘Officers attended the scene and carried out an extensive area search, however the people involved have not yet been located.

‘We have been conducting enquiries into the circumstances of this incident and now have these images to release to the public. We appreciate they are not of the best quality, however we’re hoping they may jog the memory of anyone who was in the area at the time and may have seen anything.’

Police have now launched a county-wide appeal for help in finding the armed bikers.

Two of the males were riding on a large, darkly-coloured moped and the third was alone on a small framed black sports type motorbike.

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The driver of the first, larger moped is described as initially wearing a black, blue and silver helmet with what appeared to be a black balaclava underneath. He was also wearing a light grey coloured tracksuit and white trainers with a black stripe. He was later seen wearing a black and green helmet.

The passenger on the larger moped is described as wearing a dark, thick jacket with a blue hood underneath and dark trousers. He also appears to be wearing a balaclava and was later seen wearing the black, blue and silver helmet previously seen on the driver.

The male on the smaller framed bike is described as wearing a black balaclava, dark trousers and dark shoes, as well as a dark jumper with white sleeves and hood.

Those with information about the incident can call police on 101 quoting reference 44220129594.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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