Stunned witnesses have told how they feared for their lives as hundreds of masked bikers roared along Croydon's roads, launched fireworks and mounted pavements in a Halloween rampage.

Hordes of "utterly reckless" riders raced through the borough on motorbikes, mopeds, scooters and quad bikes on Saturday, with some pulling wheelies and narrowly missing pedestrians.

Police said no one was injured but detectives are studying CCTV footage in a bid to identify bikers, who they said committed criminal damage, stole petrol and put lives at risk.

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Julie Dyhan, 39, of Belvedere Road, Crystal Palace, was forced to jump out of the path of four riders on the pavement when a group of about 30 bikes raced down Church Road.

She said: "I'm not joking, they could have killed us.

"They were driving really fast. You would not have known they were coming. It was really scary. We were really shocked.

"On the roads, OK, but on the footpath - who would do this?"

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Videos posted on online showed bikers congregating

She added: "And the thing is, they saw us but would not stop. I don't think they even cared people were walking there."

The group, which is believed to have organised the ride on Facebook, congregated in Lambeth just after 6pm.

The bikers swarmed through Lewisham, Greenwich and Bromley, before travelling south from Crystal Palace through Croydon and Purley.

Footage posted online showed riders cutting through busy traffic, racing down quiet residential streets and igniting fireworks while roaring through a park.

Another video captured a quad biker pulling a 20-second wheelie while travelling at speed along a dual carriageway.

Philip Kakoulli, 18, of Upper Norwood, was driving to a friend's house in Croydon town centre at 9pm when he found the convoy blocking his path near the underpass in Wellesley Road.

He said: "There must have been about 100, maybe more, motorbikes and quad bikes. They were on my side of the road, the other the side of the road, coming towards me doing wheelies. It was pretty mad. 

"I've never seen anything like it. We had to drive at about five miles an hour because they were coming out of all directions."

Some of the riders stole fuel and sweets from a petrol station in Streatham High Road, according to the Metropolitan Police, who said most of the convoy was from Croydon and Bromley. 

The group broke up between midnight and 1am.

Superintendent Liam Harrington said: "This group behaved in an utterly reckless manner, committing criminal damage and endangering themselves, other road users and pedestrians.

"If anyone knows the identity of those involved or has footage of riders with their faces or registration numbers visible, then I would urge them to share that information and material with us."

A 23-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of making off without payment and driving not in accordance with a licence. He was been bailed until later this month.

No other arrests have been made.

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or crimestoppers-uk.org