THE dangers posed by off-road vehicles on country lanes have been discussed by community representatives in the Ceiriog Valley.

Wrexham councillor for Ceiriog Valley, Trevor Bates, was joined by North Wales Police Sergeant Jenna Hughes, PCSO Gareth Jones, local residents, plus Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes, to look at potential solutions to the issue.

The summit comes after the area has attracted off-road bike users in particular, while PCSO Jones said he recently spoke to a group who had come from areas such as Nottingham and the Midlands. Other parts of Wales have seen 4x4 groups visiting.

Councillor Bates said he has received a high volume of complaints about the drivers and wants to start seeing tourists using the roads in the correct manner to avoid confrontations that could end badly.

He added: "Enough is enough.

"My inbox is crammed with similar complaints from local residents who are being driven away from ancient lanes and old drovers tracks because of touring motorised vehicles with thrill-seeking drivers whose actions are basically bullying walkers, cyclists and horse riders away from their countryside.

"There are some careful and considerate people driving these lanes but we are also seeing more and more illegal activity on the lanes which seems to attract vehicles from all over the UK and abroad.

"I'm hearing of more and more confrontations between landowners and 4x4 drivers and motorcyclists.

"And I recently heard of drivers being threatened with a shotgun which makes one wonder what pushed a person to such extremes.

“I don't want to stop people from enjoying the countryside in a responsible way, but to see my constituents suffer the intrusions of noise, pollution and crime combined with danger and threats is simply not acceptable."

Mr Baynes said: "This is completely unacceptable.

"It’s extremely important that road users and visitors to the area drive safely, and comply with the law, to prevent dangerous situations. I would like to thank all of those who attended the meeting."

PCSO Jones added: "We patrol the area and engage with the community as much as we can, but of course, it is impossible to be there 24-hours-a-day, especially given the isolated nature of where these incidents occur.

"I arranged a meeting with the help of local Cllr Bates, who has done a fantastic job working with Wrexham Council to hopefully get new gates installed along the tracks.

"The plans for new gates are a welcome feature that will hopefully deter motorcycles and off-road vehicles using the lanes in future.

"We urge anyone who witnesses anti-social driving in the area to contact officers of 101, or via the web chat.”