Parents left furious after school prom ruined – with crying kids stuck in limos as road descends into chaos
PARENTS have been left furious after a group of rowdy bikers allegedly ruined a school prom by blocking the road.
Pupils at St Gregory's Catholic Academy in Longton, Staffordshire, were "left in tears" after the mob of motorists “disrupted the public highway” on Thursday night.
According to witnesses, up to 60 bikers caused a “blockade” as students arrived for the end of year event at around 6pm.
The motorcyclists had reportedly been escorting a pupil to the school following a social media campaign on Facebook.
But parents claimed the group remained outside the gates for some time after which they revved their engines and “intimidated” other attendees.
They said that pupils were left unable to drive down the road and children had to be “carried out of their limos by teachers.”
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Images from Thursday evening showed the batch of bikers waiting on a nearby road, with police later called to the school amid reports of a disruption.
One parent, Vikki Smith, 32, claimed her son was stuck in a limo with eight other children after the bikers ignored requests to move.
She told : “I asked them to move and they completely ignored me.
"We were trying to take pictures of our children, but they were revving their engines so loud, the kids were absolutely petrified. My kids were dragged out of the limo by teachers for their own safety.
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"One child got stuck in the middle and was that scared he had to be carried into school crying, shaking and screaming.
“The teachers were trying to get them inside school as quickly as possible. Five parents rang 999.”
She claimed her normally “bubbly son” was left traumatised by the incident - calling out the bikers for their alleged behaviour.
Vikki added: "It's just a shame for the children as they wanted to come and have a good night, but instead they were intimidated and frightened."
Another concerned parent, Simon Grayley, said he was “disgusted” at the behaviour shown by the bikers as his son was unshed into the school.
The 45-year-old told the outlet: “The children couldn't hear over the revving engines and they (the bikers) were giving 10 and 11-year-olds grief."
The kids were absolutely petrified
Vikki Smith
The organiser of the biker procession, Clare Campbell, later condemned the allegations made by parents - saying the group were “wrongly criticised.”
She explained that the motorists had gathered in response to a charity appeal from the girl’s mother – who claims her daughter was bullied at the school.
Clare said: "I’m very happy that none of the bikers retaliated to the abuse we got. All we wanted to do was make a little girl's night special and have her arrive in style.
“I’m truly saddened and shocked at last night's behaviour towards the bikers. Under no circumstances did we attempt to block the road.
"I feel bad for the poor children that had to witness the disgusting behaviour of the parents. We tried to do something nice and are now wrongly criticised for it.”
The school says the matter is "now in the hands of Staffordshire Police" who have confirmed they are investigating the incident.
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A police spokesman said: "Police were called to a premises at 6.25pm on Thursday (14 July) following reports of a disturbance.
“A witness reported seeing around 60 motorbikes blocking the road. Officers are working to establish the full circumstances of the incident and carrying out high-visibility patrols in the area. Inquiries are ongoing."