MP Ian Liddell-Grainger has called for urgent action to stop a Somerset beauty spot being ‘desecrated’ by groups of mountain bikers.
He says parts of Great Wood on the Quantock Hills near Aisholt are starting to suffer immense environmental damage while other woodland users are increasingly being forced off rights of way by speeding cyclists.
Now Mr Liddell-Grainger, Conservative MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, says the Forestry Commission must intervene – and he is demanding an early meeting with officials and with representatives of the Quantocks ranger service.
The Quantocks were the first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – effectively a second-division national park - to be set up in this country but, says Mr Liddell-Grainger, that natural beauty is being severely eroded in some areas thanks to mountain biking, one of the UK’s fastest-growing outdoor activities.
He says damage and risks to walkers and horse riders have now both increased to a point where they can no longer be tolerated.
“Of course we want everyone to come down and enjoy the fabulous surroundings of the Quantocks but at the end of the day areas such as this are designated for ‘quiet enjoyment’ – and that’s something that is denied to other users when you have groups of thirty or forty mountain bikers tearing down through the woods,” he said.
“I am getting reports of people being thrown from startled horses and of walkers having to throw themselves off the paths when they suddenly find lines of bikers bearing down on them without giving the slightest warning.
“But far more worrying is the environmental damage. The bikers are chopping down trees, carving their own routes through the woods and building jumps, all of which go well beyond what is acceptable.”
Mr Liddell-Grainger said it was absolutely essential that the problem was brought under control before it got totally out of hand.
“The woods are being desecrated but up until now the Forestry Commission does not appear to have expressed any concern,” he said.
“But local people and other users of the woods certainly do have concerns – and I shall be raising them with the appropriate authorities as soon as I can get them to the table.”