A FED-UP group of youngsters is down in the dumps after council diggers flattened a woodland bike track they used for doing stunts.

Generations of kids have taken their bikes into the copse behind Birdwell primary school where the natural dips and bumps made an ideal off-road track.

But last week Barnsley Council moved in to put the brakes on the fun - on health and safety grounds. Simon Bradley, 40, of Osprey Close, took his bike there as a lad and his son, Joe, 12, used to ride there most days. Now Joe and his mates are kicking their heels because they have nowhere to ride.

Digger driver Simon said: "It seems mad, they're wanting kids to find something to do and they send a digger down and flatten the lot instead. They were off the streets getting some activity.

"The council had the audacity to tell me they had spare money to go and make places safe and then told me to set up an action group to raise money to get somewhere else.

"If things aren't broken why try to fix them?"

David Kennedy, the council's development director, said there was a need for prompt action because the jumps were a health and safety risk because they were on a footpath.

He said he had sympathy for the young bikers and would consult with them and other residents to assess the demand for a BMX facility and find potential sites for a track nearby.