SPEEDING bikers are being blamed for bringing mayhem to a moorland road.

People living in the beauty spot of Bilsdale say the B1257 Stokesley to Bilsdale road is being used as a race track.

Motorcycling magazines are even flagging up the national park route for riders to test their skills.

Now residents have said enough is enough and are calling for action.

They want a stronger police presence on the road to crack down on traffic they say is causing havoc.

An area parish forum scheduled for the autumn was brought forward and held last week so the problem could be aired. More than 70 people met for 2 hours to discuss the issues. A full report will appear in next week's D&S Times.

North Yorkshire police say they are working harder than any other force in the country to tackle the problem.

But area commander Chief Supt David Short says officers are up against a growing motorbike culture in which bikers are steered towards the B1257. He wants the community to join police in appealing to biking magazines to stop the trend.

The forum was told other measures are also in place to make the road safer and Chief Supt Short is to report back to the community later in the year.

In the meantime, residents are meeting again to discuss local action they can take.

In 2002, there were a total of 17 casualties on the Bilsdale stretch of the B1257. Of these, two were fatalities, four involved serious injury and three slight injury.

Incidents involving motorbikes accounted for almost a quarter of the total with one fatality, two serious injuries and one slight injury.

* See page 25.