A CAMPAIGN group has been set up by residents in a village near Winchester in a bid to stop motocross riders using fields near their homes.

People living in South Wonston say their lives have been made a nightmare by the constant din from motorcycle riders using an illegal track near the village.

The group, who call themselves South Wonston Against Motocross (SWAM), say they want the authorities to shut the track down. They are also calling on Winchester City Council to reject an application for a legal track nearby.

The application has been made by Tony Childs of Eastleigh firm Tonymoto Motorcycles, who has applied to planning chiefs for permission to run an official motocross track for five years on land near the Andover Road by Three Maids Hill.

Locals opposed to Mr Childs' application say there are already too many problems with the illegal track by the water tower at the end of Downs Road, and that a licensed track will just bring more noise and traffic to the village.

Villagers also say people walking on tracks and bridleways near their homes are being put in danger by bikers tearing along the rural paths to get to the illegal tracks.

One resident, who asked not to be named but who lives in the centre of South Wonston, said: "It's the general noise that annoys me - like a loud humming sound you can hear in your gardens and around the house.

"It's really disturbing because it just seems to be continual."

Another neighbour added: "I'm also concerned about them using the bridleways and tracks.

"People use these routes for dog walking and going for a stroll with children but the bikers are using them as speedways to get to the site, which is not only dangerous for others but is also ruining the tracks."

Mr Childs defended his application, saying that not only had they moved the site to the other side of the A34 to lessen the noise for residents, but that he would be taking other measures to reduce the din.

Following discussions with Winchester City Council environmental officers, earth mounds to act as sound barriers were being installed and the opening times limited during the summer months.

As for the illegal site at the water tower, he said: "If we are lucky enough to get permission for the new track, then this will also hopefully bring the problem of bikers using that site, and the tracks leading to it, to an end."