Ian Lidell-Grainger, the Member of Parliament for Bridgwater and West Somerset, has accused mountain bikers of damaging Great Wood in Somerset.

Great Wood is in the north of the Quantocks national park, just a stone’s throw from the popular Triscombe riding spot. The Quantocks is registered as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and was featured as one of our 20 best trails in the UK.

Great Wood has no official trails but it is home to a number of bridleways, which are legal to ride on. It is described as being suitable for a “leisurely cycle” by the Forestry Comission.

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The Western Morning News reports that  Lidell-Grainger said: “The woods are being desecrated.

“The bikers are chopping down trees, carving their own routes through the woods and building jumps, all of which go well beyond what is acceptable.”

It is worth noting that the comments on the original article dispute the MP’s claims.

Watch highlights from the Bristol Bike Fest, just a stone’s throw away from Great Wood

Lidell-Grainger has also accused mountain bikers of terrorising other woodland users. He said: “You have groups of thirty or forty mountain bikers tearing down through the woods.”

“I am getting reports of people being thrown from startled horses and of walkers having to throw themselves off the paths.”

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Ian Lidell-Grainger has been a Conservative MP since 2010. He has been described as “divisive” by his local council and is the great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria.

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