MORE and more motorists are using Salisbury Plain for recreational driving, sometimes ending up in trouble with the law and sometimes just in trouble.

Just before Christmas, Ministry of Defence police were involved in a game of hide and seek with a couple recently moved to the area, who had become bogged down in their vehicle somewhere on the Plain, but it took several hours, and the intervention of the Wiltshire police helicopter, before they could be located and rescued, despite contact on a mobile phone.

The couple were eventually found safe and well and the police helped to arrange the recovery of their vehicle after giving them what they called "suitable advice about the dangers of driving on the Plain".

Every week motorists who take their 4x4 vehicles or scrambling bikes on to the Plain are pulled over by Ministry of Defence police and advised that they are breaking the law.

If it is not the first time they have been spoken to they may get a summons to court.

So, what are the laws regarding access? Salisbury Plain training area (SPTA) measures around 94,000 acres an area about the size of the Isle of Wight. It is governed by a series of comprehensive bylaws or regulations which detail exactly what you may or may not legally do when on Ministry of Defence land.

These by-laws are posted at all entry points on to Salisbury Plain.

In addition, the Road Traffic Act applies anywhere there is legal access with a motor vehicle. This includes roads and stone tracks as well as the many, but not all, unsurfaced tracks which can be driven on as designated byways or rights of way.

These rights of way can be easily identified on Ordnance Survey maps. If you own a 4x4 vehicle or an off-road motorcycle you will need to be road legal to drive on these byways, in the same way you would on any other road.

If you drive off road where no such rights exist you commit an offence under section 34 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. The Ministry of Defence police do prosecute under this section and you can expect a fine of around £300. For persistent offenders there is power under the bylaws for police to seize vehicles and any other items connected with the offence, and apply to local magistrates for it to be forfeited.

The training area is used for military exercises and therefore the tracks across the Plain often have uneven surfaces and potholes and are not suitable for all types of vehicles. Anyone driving across the Plain should be aware of the dangers of unexploded ammunition and be prepared to meet military vehicles using the road.

There is a 30mph speed limit on all tracks over the training area and, although the speed limit signs do not comply with civilian regulations as far as shape, size and colour, the bylaws state you must obey all signs in the training area, military or otherwise.

A large part of the training area has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its rare flora and fauna as well as its numerous archaeological sites.

All are protected under the Countryside and Wildlife Act 1981 and you are not allowed to dig up any plants or drive into these areas. Anyone caught contravening this could face a maximum £20,000 fine.

The area is patrolled by police and land wardens employed by the Defence Estates who can offer advice on access.