NEW laws to stop motocross fans bringing misery to villagers in Wanborough have been demanded by MP Julia Drown.

The Labour MP for South Swindon urged ministers to change the Licensing Bill to make it compulsory to obtain a licence for outdoor events attracting more than 500 people.

The move follows disruption to the lives of people in Wanborough, who have suffered traffic jams, illegal parking, drunkenness, fighting and noise.

Yet the proposed Bill, which is expected to become law in the summer, will only license major indoor events not those staged outdoors.

Speaking in a Commons debate, Ms Drown described the chaos when motocross events were staged in Wanborough, in particular the October 1998 world championships.

She said: "About 28,000 people converged on a single village, arriving on country roads that were not equipped to cope with such a large volume of traffic.

"Residents returning after the event had started found that their back gardens were being used as car parks, their front gardens were being used as barbecues and bus shelters were being used as urinals.

"They found windows smashed, verges cut up and fences broken. Throughout the village, we saw the destruction of hedges to provide firewood. The council had to deal with tons of mud that had been dumped onto the public roads.

"Proper regulation could have avoided a number of these problems. It could have been decided that the event was not suitable for the village, or that it could only go ahead with the proper infrastructure."

Ms Drown said it made no sense that types of entertainment to be licensed under the Bill included boxing and wrestling, but not motocross.

However, Kim Howells, the Tourism Minister who summed up for the Government at the end of the debate, gave no commitment to change the Bill.

Ms Drown also warned of the financial burden on small businesses of plans to force people applying for a licence to place two adverts in local newspapers.

But she welcomed the proposal to give local authorities rather than magistrates the power to decide whether late-night drinks licences should be granted to pubs and clubs.

Earlier this month, the Evening Advertiser revealed that Arkell's Brewery had protested that elected politicians would be too easily swayed by arguments from local residents against pubs opening.