It is supposed to be one of the more salubrious streets in York.
But CCTV cameras have shown another side to life on Bishopthorpe Road.
The footage shared on YouTube has been described as ‘unbelievable’, ‘insane’ and ‘wild’ by viewers.
The two cameras were installed next to the front door of a flat on Bishy Road by York Security Services (YSS). The company then edited together some incidents those cameras captured over the last year and uploaded that to YouTube.
On the video, groups of people wearing hoodies and riding bikes repeatedly scope the motorbike in the front yard of the property. They lift up the cover and check out the locks, clearly looking to see how easy it would be to steal the vehicle.
This is done in daylight, even as traffic thunders by on the busy road.
And the cameras also capture men urinating next to the doorway. One relieves himself against the wall, another near the window of the neighbouring restaurant.
He can be heard saying: “Goddamn, this p*** feels so nice, Ben.”
The CCTV cameras were installed by Stewart from YSS – who didn’t want to give his last name for fear of reprisals. He said he was surprised by what they captured.
“You wouldn’t have thought it would happen there,” he said. “And on the main road – it’s a busy street, it’s a nice area.”
He points out that one group of people on bikes who are scoping out the motorbike are using hand signals, including touching their heads, to communicate. “They’re obviously organised, the people that are doing it.”
Within eight hours of him sharing the video police had been to the flat to get more information, Stewart told YorkMix.
As a security expert, his advice to others was simple – invest in good locks. “CCTV doesn’t really deter people, as you see. They know the cameras are there.
“The main thing is having everything locked up and secure.”
There are also CCTV systems now available with sensors that send notifications to your phone when someone approaches your home – so you can check what’s happening remotely and even let you “shout at people through the camera”.
Stewart said the flat owners were horrified to see how many people urinated in their doorway, and found that even more shocking than the gangs scoping the motorbike.
Other viewers were shocked by what they saw. “I thought Bishopthorpe Road was a reasonable area. That’s crazy how many people are using it as a urinal,” one said.
Another commented: “That’s an insane amount of interest in one bike. How scary.”
One woman “This is unbelievable!” said another commenter. “I would cover the sheet in a permanent ink or something & itching powder.”
And someone on YouTube wrote simply: “You should live stream that camera. It’s wild.”