ANGRY villagers are launching a campaign to tackle anti-social motorcycling on Hampshire roads.

They met Hampshire crime commissioner to discuss ways of tackling high-speed and aggressive motorcycling.

Thirteen parish councils lobbied Simon Hayes to voice their anger over anti-social biking across a swathe of Hampshire, particularly along the A32 and A272.

Parish councils attending were: Beauworth, Bishop’s Waltham, Bramdean, Corhampton and Meonstoke, Curdridge, Droxford, Exton, Hambledon, Owslebury, Soberton, Swanmore, Warnford and West Meon.

One villager, who asked not to be named, said: “There is just excessive speeding by some motorcyclists. Some use the A32 as a racetrack. We want to see more enforcement by the police.

“We don’t want to sound like curmudgeons that we don’t want people to come to the countryside. But it is a national park. Rural communities feel they are being hung out to dry because there are not many people to complain.”

The villagers are supported by Meon Valley MP George Hollingbery.

Of growing concern are noisy track exhausts, designed for the racetrack, and illegal on public roads.

Mr Hollingbery said: “Many people are being plagued by these extremely loud motorcycles, especially on summer evenings and at weekends.

“The use of these exhausts designed for the race track on our roads is simply not acceptable and now the hot weather seems to be with us, it will become a serious issue for those living near these routes.

“Part of the solution has to be about enforcement, but it also has to be about education for the minority of bikers who think it’s OK to speed and illegally create far too many decibels.”

Mr Hollingbery said he will work with Mr Hayes, the county council and the police to raise awareness of the misery this constant bike noise is causing.”

Mr Hayes said: “I intend to take those concerns to Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit, and also support a meeting of the parish councils with the management of Loomies café (at West Meon Hut), where many of these bikers assemble on a regular basis.

Mr Hayes added: “Through this engagement I would hope that an education and awareness programme can be developed, and to establish what can be done to minimise the impact these large numbers of bikers have on local residents when visiting the café, whilst respecting their rights to do so. Of greater concern is that everybody involved supports the constabulary’s ‘casualty reduction’ programme by making our roads safe to use for everyone.”

The meeting was chaired by Mike Evans, chairman of Winchester Association of Local Councils.