BUSINESS owners in Helmsley are once again at odds over bikers flocking to the market town for a popular gathering.

The town is a traditional meeting point for bikers at this time of year, but the tradition has divided traders, with some saying they welcome the business and others claiming visitors are put others off coming to Helmsley.

Janis Dzierzek, who manages the Costcutter shop on Bridge Street, said bikers are welcome in her shop at any time - and has even displayed a "bike friendly" poster in the window.

She said: "I can't understand people saying they aren't welcome.

"We don't rely on the bikers for our trade, but they do come into the shop quite often and are always perfectly polite and well-mannered.

"In fact, last year when they had a big weekend gathering and there were between six and eight thousand of them in the region, the shop was packed out, but there was no damage and nothing stolen.

However, one businessman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "I do get complaints from customers about the speed with which they whizz around the town.

"It is quite off-putting to older visitors and they take up a lot of parking spaces that could be used by other people."

Jeff Stone, of the British Motorcycle Federation, said similar situations across the country had been resolved by working closely with residents.

"We appreciate residents' concerns and if a lunatic fringe, which you get in all areas of society, are causing problems by speeding or performing stunts, then we would support any police clampdown on that," he said.