BIKERS using land as an unofficial off-road motorcycling track were today warned they could have their machines seized this summer.Police said the new owner of The Pits at Trimley had told them no-one was allowed to use his land for scrambling or practising their bike skills.

BIKERS using land as an unofficial off-road motorcycling track were today warned they could have their machines seized this summer.

Police said the new owner of The Pits at Trimley had told them no-one was allowed to use his land for scrambling or practising their bike skills.

Officers plan to use new laws which allow them to prosecute youngsters using the site - or take away their bikes.

The land alongside the A14 slip-road off the Trimley interchange has been used by bikers for decades, but residents say the constant drone and revving of machines in summer ruins the enjoyment of their gardens.

There has also been concern about safety of walkers and horse riders and people using country lanes and paths used by the riders to get to The Pits.

Sgt Jim Kerr said one of the main problems with The Pits was most people using the area - a former rubbish dump and a spoil tip when the A14 was built - did not believe they were doing anything wrong as people had used it for so many years.

His biggest concern was safety - and many riders were using the land, and tracks and lanes leading to it, without crash helmets.

Sgt Kerr said: “We found a nine-year-old boy from Kirton riding a motorbike there with no crash helmet and no parents to supervise him.

“Another occasion we found three on one bike, all without helmets.

“But I am concerned about the danger to walkers and horse riders. If a horse bolted, there would be potential danger to not only people in the immediate area but possibly on the A14 if it ran that way - it doesn't take a brain of Britain to work out what would happen next.”

Bikers had had accidents, too - people had fallen off and been injured.

Various measures have been tried over the years to stop the scrambling, including putting crash barriers on the slip road to stop people parking and unloading bikes, plus stiles and metal gates.

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