VILLAGERS are being urged to help police stop young motorcyclists using a nature reserve as a race track.

People at Quarrington Hill say teenage riders who use the paths at the nearby Crow Trees Local Nature Reserve are putting off visitors.

Police are carrying out a county-wide crackdown on off-road riders and young car drivers who perform potentially dangerous stunts at "cruise" meetings.

They are urging villagers to report the culprits.

The 40-hectare reserve, managed by Durham County Council, was once a colliery site.

It has a pond and wetland and is home to a wide range of wildlife including frogs, toads and several species of breeding birds.

Billy Jones, chairman of Quarrington Hill Youth Club, which is carrying out projects in the reserve, said: "It is terrible. We are getting riders using the paths to come down from other villages.

"Horses also use the path but they are not so bad as motorcycles. We want people to visit the reserve and enjoy it but they are being put off by these bikers.

"A group of us patrol the reserve and approach the bikers if we see them and warn them off. It looks like it will continue to be a problem until we can get some fences and gates up.''

A Durham Police spokesman said: "It is something we have been addressing and will continue to address.

"We are looking for help from the local community in identifying those involved.

"As a force we are concentrating on the problem of off-road bikers. Last year we seized 158 machines in 100 operations and we are currently running more operations across the county to address the problems.

"We now have powers under the Police Reform Act to seize machines if a warning is ignored.

"Part of the solution is in the hands of people in the area. We want them to ring in with information about people on bikes.''

Anyone with information about off-road riders at the nature reserve is asked to call Durham City police station on (0191) 3864222 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.