Moto bid by Tory to cut nuisance

Tory MP Owen Paterson has called for car parks to be used as mini-moto circuits in a bid to drive the machines out of parks and other public open spaces.

The North Shropshire MP today said the building of swimming pools and roller skate, skateboarding and BMX cycle parks had shown how social problems could be turned into sporting opportunities.

He said the new schemes and newly-built asphalt areas could also benefit residents in Shropshire and across the country in other ways. "Now we have mini-bikes and off-road cycling. The Auto-Cycle union offers an incredibly cheap solution.

"It provides advice to local authorities on how to identify the problem, its size and nature," he told the Commons. It has a formula for establishing a facility, a network and venues, which can be community owned and run.

"What's exciting about the idea is that any area about the size of two tennis courts, which is incredibly cheap to provide, can be temporarily or permanently converted into a legitimate mini-bike venue for very little expense."

Mr Paterson said there had been a 97 per cent reduction in illicit mini-bike activity in areas where such schemes had been set up.

The Shropshire MP said such schemes would be far more cost-effective than the "colossal" task of registering all off-road vehicles, including the sensible use of quad bikes by farmers.