THE issue of dirt bikes and quads in local woodland is certainly something that people are right to be concerned about.

It has been something that members of Cowdenbeath Environment Group have been worried about in recent years, especially at the town's Community Woodland heading towards Crossgates.

But more over in the past two months there have also been experiences at the St Ninian's Restored Opencast site, in Kelty, and at Leuchatsbeath Community Woodland.

People enjoying the open area at St Ninians have suddenly found quad machines buzzing around them and at the tree lined patch at the north of Cowdenbeath, folk have found themselves confronted with dirt bikes and quads.

Cowdenbeath MP, Neale Hanvey, has been very unhappy with constituents being confronted with these machines, whether it being while they are out for a stroll or with their dogs.

And he was right to underline that the users of these machines could seriously injures themselves, never mind the users of the woodland.

The community woodlands are two lovely settings created in the former mining town, and are there to be enjoyed.

But Mr Hanvey came up with an interesting observation about it being time that a facility was created to allow young motorcycle scramblers and quad users use their machines without bothering anyone.

The Benarty based Off Road Motorcycle Club has a facility created in a field outside Ballingry which allows users of these sort of machines to learn how to properly ride them and enjoy them in an appropriate setting.

The Kingdom Off Road Motorcycle Club has given youngsters the chance to learn how to use these machines and learn skills, and perhaps the local authority could find out how this issue could be tackled.

Certainly all it needs is a bit of input into how such a facility could be created out of part of a field and take the quads and dirt bikes away from the woodland paths.