BIKING louts who disturb Andover residents are being offered an alternative to illegally riding their mini-motos round the streets.

Team Sport Indoor Karting, on Weyhill Road, is offering their indoor track every other Thursday evening in a bid to reduce the plague of mini-motos in the neighbourhood.

It would cost an individual £22 for four hours riding round the track but staff at Team Sport, whose plans are supported by the local police, are looking into council funding.

"Riders risk prosecution and having their bikes seized if they are caught riding them in public," a police spokesman told the Andover Advertiser last week.

The centre has already held two mini-moto evenings and their third event is on 13 April from 6pm.

Their aim is to give back the peace and quiet residents were used to and make them feel less like prisoners in their own homes.

"The growing popularity of the mini-motos is leading to increasing problems for the police," said Dominic Gaynor, from Team Sport.

"We are more then happy to provide a means for mini-moto enthusiasts to be able to use their bikes in a safe, enjoyable manner and not be in fear of breaking the law," he added.

Colin Roope, also from Team Sport, believes both events proved to be a great success.

"We are looking to run these events every two weeks and it's great fun to watch the riders riding their bikes legally in a safe and fun environment," he said.

David Smith, Test Valley Borough Council's neighbourhood warden manager, thinks the problem of mini- motos is getting worse.

"It's an absolute nightmare - we are getting more and more calls of complaints from local residents. "The bikes are so loud - they sound a bit like a hairdryer," he said.

For the full story see Friday's Andover Advertiser