Sutton and Cheam's MP has demanded answers from the Prime Minister about what is being done to tackle the rise of moped crime in London.

Violent crimes committed by criminals riding mopeds and scooters are showing no sign of slowing down – fuelling the biggest rise in crime in London for over a decade.

The Metropolitan Police recorded a staggering 16,158 crimes on mopeds in the 12 months from June 2016 to June 2017, more than three times the number in the previous year.

These crimes can range from bike thefts, mobile phone snatches, acid attacks and violent attacks on shops and restaurants.

Thousands of people in London have been victims of these crimes, including former chancellor George Osborne.

Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this week, Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Scully asked the prime minister what steps are being taken to tackle the rise of moped crime in London.

He said: “Moped crime is a relatively new crime which has increased significantly over the last year or so.

“A lot of these crimes have been committed using stolen mopeds, motorcycles and bikes, which are often hijacked in outer London boroughs and used to commit robberies in the West End.

He added: “it’s important that we tackle these issues at the root cause – and prevent these incidents from taking place in the first place.”

Responding to Mr Scully’s question in the House of Commons, Victoria Atkins, Parliamentary under-secretary of state for the home department, said: “We are keen that police forces collaborate on crimes enabled by mopeds and other smaller vehicles.

She added: “The Metropolitan police is now using DNA sprays, and we have great hopes that that will help to catch offenders. Such measures should be shared around constabularies to ensure that offenders are brought to justice.”

Last year Sutton Guardian reported a shocking incident where a young man with Asperger's syndrome was attacked by thugs on mopeds as he walked home in Worcester Park.

According to his mum, her son said that the incident involved two mopeds and three “quite young teenagers” who stayed on the moving mopeds as they grabbed him to the floor.

The mother continued: “They are going for vulnerable people. They are not confronting anyone. Cowards.”