WORLD Superbike Champion Neil Hodgson launched a campaign to improve motorcycle safety and said: "Leave the races to the aces."

Neil, from Burnley, crowned earlier this year, has joined forces with the police and safety groups to spearhead the national Bikesafe scheme.

The campaign, which aims to educate riders on how to improve their riding skills and create safer roads, was launched at the International Motorcycle and Scooter Show at the NEC in Birmingham.

Burnley-born Neil, who lives with his wife and baby daughter on the Isle of Man, was at the launch with police and representatives from the Motorcyle Industry Association.

Neil said: "I am a huge fan of this safety scheme because in the last few years deaths of motorcycle riders have risen and it is a big problem.

"Riders need to be aware that bikes are powerful things and must be ridden sensibly. There are times and places when riders can open up the throttle a bit, but it has to be in the right conditions. People should leave the races to the aces and not put their lives at risk."

Craig Carey-Clinch of the MCI, said: "In recent years an increase in the number of motorcycle fatalities, particularly in rural areas, has caused concern with the Government and in the motorcycle industry.

"We are committed to collaborating with the Government, police and other organisations to help reduce the number of casualties. Bikesafe is an important initiative that engages and educates riders and is a vital tool in the ongoing efforts to reduce casualties."

East Lancashire has been beset by accidents involving bikers in recent years, particularly in the quiet country roads of the Ribble Valley.

Earlier this year a Burnley man who lost his brother in a motorcycle accident urged bikers to join a first-aid scheme aimed at saving lives on East Lancashire's roads.

Graem Barsby backed the Lancashire Ambulance Service First Bike on the Scene project, which gives training on how to deal with accidents .

The first group of bikers have already undergone training and ambulance crews have urged people to enrole loved ones on the £60 course as a present which could save their lives.

Graem's brother Jeffrey , 35, of Higher Causeway, Barrowford, was returning from the Lakes with a group of fellow bikers when his 750cc Kawasaki collided with a deer on the isolated Whitewell Road, Cow Ark, in the Trough of Bowland, in August.

According to Department for Transport figures more than 28,000 motorbikes were involved in road accidents in the UK last year.