RESIDENTS who say they are plagued by noise from a motor racing track hope a council will take legal action after an alleged breach of regulations.

According to environment officers, records from Croft circuit, near Darlington, showed that 25 vehicles raced in July after they failed static noise exhaust tests.

Councillors will be asked next week to allow officers to seek expert advice on whether to take legal action.

A report by officers to Richmondshire District Council's environment committee, which will meet on Thursday, said the circuit breached a legal agreement during a British touring cars meeting on July 15 and 16.

Tests also broke the rules of the Motor Sports Association Competitors' Yearbook because they were carried out in a garage and not outdoors.

The owners of some vehicles were warned verbally, but council officers said that did not meet the requirements of the circuit's legal undertaking.

No complaints were received from Croft residents during the meeting and the report said that could weaken the council's case.

Trackside monitoring, which showed that overall noise was within predictions, also made it difficult to prove the breaches had caused harm to anyone.

However, officers accept that, if action is not taken, the circuit operators could disregard future noise readings.

Any enforcement would be through an injunction to prevent the breaches being repeated.

Local councillor Jane Parlour said it was by no means the first time that alleged breaches of the undertaking had been brought to the attention of the council, and called on the authority to take action.

Croft resident Jane Wright said she hoped the council would take legal action despite the lack of public complaints.

She said: "After so many years of complaining and feeling that nothing is happening, there is a disincentive to complain.

"You do not want to be seen as a moaner.

"When the noise is happening, it is like pain, but when it has passed and you have survived it, you try to put it to the back of your mind."

No one at Croft circuit was available for comment on the matter yesterday