Residents are up in arms about the use of community land as an illegal scrambling track for quad bikers.

Flockton Field, off Flockton Road, East Bowling, Bradford, and the area around Bradford Comm-unity College, have become popular haunts for teenage scramblers in evenings and weekends.

But people whose homes overlook the fields say the motorbikes are so noisy they cannot sit in their gardens or open windows.

Ward Councillor Rupert Oliver, (Lib-Dem, Bowling), said he has been inundated with complaints.

He said: "The bikes cause a lot of noise pollution at times when people are trying to relax in their gardens. My main concern is for safety. I am worried there could be a serious accident if a small child or animal gets in the way."

One woman, who lives in Lister Avenue, said: "They rev their bikes so loudly and speed round and round the fields. It's just constant noise all day."

The woman, who did not want to be named, added: "With the weather getting better, they start biking as early as 2pm and often go on until 10pm. There can sometimes be as many as seven at a time, and most of them don't wear helmets. Last week I saw four teenagers all pile on to one bike."

The Council-owned land has been a nuisance area for some time, admitted a Council spokesman. Last year, the authority worked with the police to make Flockton Field more open and visible by chopping down trees.

A Council spokesman said: "Whatever we do, we cannot win.

"The Council is looking at measures to make it more difficult for the bikers to use the land.

"We are looking at putting tree trunks down and growing the grass longer to make it harder for bikers to scramble here."

Police said they were aware of the situation and appealed for names and addresses of those involved. Anyone with information should contact Sergeant Adrian Denby on (01274) 376459.