COUNCIL chiefs have come under fire after banning a church from staging quad bike rides as part of a family fun day.

Totton and Eling Town Council has imposed the ban because it fears it could be prosecuted if someone was killed or seriously injured in an accident.

Members took the decision after hearing that Testwood Baptist Church had applied to stage the rides on council-owned land.

Town clerk Derek Biggs said none of the specialist organisations contacted by the council was willing to licence the event and exempt the authority from any legal action.

He added: "A serious accident or fatality could result in us being prosecuted. It's very unlikely but legally possible."

However, former council chairman David Harrison spoke in favour of quad bike rides.

He said: "We're talking about a very small area that will be fenced off for vehicles that won't be travelling at great speed.

"I'm struggling to imagine what would make us liable if there was an accident."

Speaking after the meeting he said: "You can find reasons to ban everything and end up doing nothing.

"It's possible to manage most risks so that they don't constitute an unacceptable danger. I don't think this is health and safety gone mad but I do think it's a knee-jerk reaction."

The issue had earlier been discussed at a meeting of the council's amenities committee.

Knowledge Councillors conceded that quad bike rides were staged last summer and the year before but said they took place without the authority's knowledge.

This year's fun day is due to be held at Testwood Recreation Ground on June 14.

John Cunningham, one of the organisers, said: "We have staged quad bikes rides for the past two years and haven't had any problems.

"They're a big draw and obviously we're disappointed we won't be able to stage them again this year."

Council chairman Di Brooks said: "The government says quad bike rides needs to be licensed and gave us a list of about ten organisations but none of them could help. They're more into on-road events."

New Forest East MP Julian Lewis said: "Quad bikes have been involved in fatal accidents and certain standards have to be met.

"Totton council did everything possible to track down an appropriate licensing body, only to discover that none of those nominated by the government would do the job. We will continue to put pressure on ministers to rectify this gap."

Dr Lewis said the situation could have implications for any other organisations that wanted to stage quad bike rides on council-owned land.

Southampton City Council said applications to hold events on its property were considered on a case-by-case basis.

A Fareham Borough Council spokesman said: "Quad bikes wouldn't be ruled out if they met risk assessment and health and safety criteria."