CYCLISTS who ride at high speed through a Dartmoor village are being urged to be more careful by Burrator Parish Council.

At its last meeting Burrator councillors discussed a list of recent incidents and near misses involving cyclists riding through the narrow lanes of Sheepstor.

Residents have expressed concerns that a serious accident is just waiting to happen involving cyclists who improperly use the road circuit around Burrator Reservoir and the lanes through Sheepstor village.

Parish councillors received a list of complaints which have been logged this year by villagers and agreed to pass on the concerns to the Burrator Community Police Officer and Devon County Highways Department.

The council also agreed to contact some of the larger local cycling clubs appealing to them to spread the need for caution among their members.

A spokesman for the parish council said: 'We recognise that cycling is an extremely popular pastime and sport which has wide-ranging benefits for the health and economy of the community and we have no intention of trying to stop people from enjoying themselves.

'There are many cyclists who do ride responsibly. Burrator attracts families with young children on bikes and it is a delightful environment for them to enjoy. But it's evident that some enthusiasts do seem to think that they can use the circuit as part of their own private time trial.

'We do appeal to cyclists to reduce their speeds to a safe level when travelling through villages like Sheepstor, which have narrow lanes and blind bends.

'It is clear from the list of "near misses" reported to us that some riders are doing so in a dangerous manner without proper due care and attention to the road conditions.'

The circuit around Burrator Reservoir is also a popular attraction for walkers and horse-riders and the parish council heard there have been incidents of horses being spooked by cyclists who 'come behind them from nowhere' and zoom past.

Moorland lanes like those in Sheepstor are home to sheep, ponies and cattle and are busy routes for tractors and farm trailers. Wide agricultural vehicles have little chance of manoeuvring when suddenly confronted by a group of fast-moving bicycles, warn councillors.

One Sheepstor resident who did not wish to be named, said: 'We live in fear of stepping outside our garden gate and being bowled over by cyclists who seem to think they are on a private race track.

'I have personally seen a cyclist crash off their bike and fly over their handlebars outside my gate as they came around a blind bend and confronted an oncoming car.'

Parish councillors agreed they did not wish to see anyone coming to harm, whether a cyclist or a villager, and so urged all riders to slow down, take care and ride responsibly.