A meeting of Innerleithen and District Community Council hears complaints of mucky mountain bikers stripping off in residential streets.

>>> Plans for a potential Innerleithen bike park

We’ve all been there. You’ve probably had to hurriedly get changed back into your regular clothing, at the side of a road or in a car park, after a muddy mountain bike ride. Doing the one-footed shimmy whilst hovering over the boot tail of your vehicle is part of mountain biking.

But it seems the residents of one town in the Scottish Borders has had – and seen – enough. Too many mountain bikers are getting undressed in the residential streets of Innerliethen.

Residents also complained of bikers using public land as a toilet and that some riders responded with foul language when confronted.

Clearly most of the trouble could be avoided by increasing parking provision in and around Innerleithen and also improving and/or creating facilities for getting changed and public toilets.

Speaking to the BBC, Neil Dalgleish of Hill Outside said: “”We’ve never previously heard of issues regarding people using public land for toilets. But this issue – and people getting changed out of muddy gear in public – would suggest there’s a real need for better facilities. After all, who would choose to strip to the skin in a car park in January?

“The bike community will get the word out about this and I’m sure the riders will react well. We welcome these people to the Tweed Valley, alongside the economic good news story they represent for this area. I believe Innerleithen’s a busier, more vibrant and probably a healthier community as a result of mountain biking’s development here.”