Macclesfield residents living close to the Silk Road have complained about the noise from motorcyclists speeding down the road since the lockdown was eased.

Calls have been made for more to be done to reduce the level of speeding and the accompanying "anti-social" noise that can come with it.

Cllr David Edwardes, who represents the Tytherington ward, told Macclesfield Nub News that the recent rise in volume from bikers in recent days could be down to a "perfect storm" of factors.

He said: "It's the bikers having a bit of freedom after lockdown; they might have aftermarket exhausts, I don't know whether they have; some people have said the road surface is noisier than it was; people are spending more time in their gardens because of the weather. It's many, many different things as far as I can see."

Cllr Edwardes is in touch with Cheshire East Council about the potential for spending Section 106 money on measures to slow the traffic within the vicinity of Tytherington Lane.

Section 106 money is a contribution that developers give the council to spend in the local area to help mitigate the impact of their developments.

Cllr Edwardes said he has been a motorbike fan since his youth, even once given the opportunity of an apprenticeship at Triumph Motorcycles, but ended up staying in Cheshire at Rolls Royce.

Despite his love for motorbikes, he is seeking to help local residents remedy the situation and reduce the noise impact.

The independent councillor said he has been in contact with the council's Environmental Health department about measuring noise levels and the police to ensure speed limits are enforced.

The matter is also being considered at the monthly Road Safety Police Liaison meeting to try and find workable solutions.

Cllr Edwardes added: "I was washing my car on Sunday morning and I could hear the bikes and even tell which were the Ducati's and which weren't."

Russell Thomas, a former police officer and Tytherington resident, has called on the council to do more to prevent speeding along the Silk Road.

One of his suggestions has been the installation of an average speed camera, which would measure the speed of vehicles along an entire stretch of road rather than at one point.

He said: "I have no problem with motorcyclists or cars going up the road, but there is an unfortunate number who seem to think it's a bit of a race track and its been pretty horrific since lockdown has eased. People have just sort of gone mad."

Mr Thomas said things had been particularly bad on Thursday and Friday evenings and over the weekend.

While Mr Thomas is a keen motorcyclist himself, he described the excess noise in recent days to be "anti-social".

"There's a difference between riding a motorbike and revving the balls off of it, if you'll pardon my French," he said.

"Cheshire East Council do not seem to understand that it's not just speed, it's the noise that comes with it. From my understanding they've said that there are 'insufficient accidents' to warrant average speed cameras on this stretch of road," Mr Thomas said.

The former police officer said he suspects that some of the riders may be using "horrendously noisy" illegal exhausts which he thinks are not being clamped down on by the authorities.

Asked what impact it's having on him, Mr Thomas said: "Sometimes we just have to give up on sitting outside in the garden during the lovely weather at the weekends and evenings. I know other people have gotten fed up with it."

On social media, some people compared it to living next to the Isle of Man TT motorbike racing tournament.

A resident of Badger Road, who preferred to remain unidentified, has witnessed the development of the Silk Road and surrounding industrial areas over the last 37 years.

The resident said: "When the road was built, it had a special noise-reducing surface and a planting plan was put in place to minimise the noise pollution. The road has now been resurfaced and lots of trees cut down."

While she is used to the "general hum of traffic", she described being "plagued" with "unacceptable" level of noise of motorbikes revving and decelerating

The resident added: "Young chaps used to meet in the McDonald's car park in their souped-up cars and race each other along the Silk Road until one of them was killed. The car racing stopped then. Now the cars have been replaced by motorbikes."

"An accident waiting to happen," is how she described the motorbikes speeding along the Silk Road.

A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: "We are continuing to work together with Cheshire police to assess potential additional safety measures at this location.

"It is being reviewed in accordance with our speed management strategy."

A Cheshire police spokesperson said: "The anti-social use of motorcycles is something we take very seriously at Cheshire Constabulary as we understand how much of a negative impact it can have on communities.

We work alongside local authorities to address speeding and noise pollution issues that are reported to us.

We have not received a significant number of such reports regarding Silk Road in Tytherington, Macclesfield, but will continue to monitor the area in liaison with Cheshire East Council."