Reckless quad bikers are posing a risk to the public at a picturesque Fife beauty spot.
Leading conservation charity Woodland Trust Scotland has raised the issue with Police Scotland after six quad bikes were ridden illegally through the woods at Kiel’s Den at around dusk on Saturday.
There have also been reports of three quad bikes being ridden dangerously at the beautiful Largo spot the previous weekend, prompting Trust staff to ask residents to highlight any further incidents.
Entrances have been blocked off where possible to deter mini-moto or quad bike riders.
Site manager Jill Aitken said: “Our paths are for the quiet enjoyment of visitors – they are not race tracks.
“There is clearly the potential for someone to get hurt and the illegal quad biking has got to stop. We don’t want someone out walking the dog to be confronted by a pack of bikes flying round a corner.
“Only some of the path is hard surfaced so the quad bikes are likely to cause damage as well as being a threat to visitor safety.”
Labour Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Claire Baker has long campaigned against the anti-social use of motorbikes or other vehicles in the Levenmouth area.
She said: “We cannot get complacent in stopping anti-social behaviour on quad bikes in Fife,” she said. All too often tackling the problem in one area just leads to it moving to another.
“Kiel’s Den is the latest in a long list of areas in Fife suffering from such behaviour.
“We have seen before that reckless and dangerous riding on these bikes can lead to tragedy. A dog has already been killed whilst being walked in Levenmouth – how long before a walker or child is struck and seriously injured?”
In March 2015 a dog was knocked down and killed by a youth riding a motorcycle on waste ground in Methil.
The white Saluki was being walked by its owner at the time to the north of Mulberry Crescent when it was hit.
Mrs Baker said: “Local policing is vital to stopping this but they need support from the Government.
“For too long officers are working with one hand tied behind their backs. We need to ensure Police Scotland have all the tools in their box to stop such behaviour in Fife.”