BIKE enthusiasts from all points of Britain finally rode into East Lancashire for the popular Hoghton Tower Sprint.

Postponed from its traditional Easter date due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak, the event attracted more than 100 competitors from as far afield as Kent and Scotland - together with thousands of spectators.

Organised jointly by the Hoghton Tower Preservation Trust and the North West Auto Cycle Union, the sprint has been a regular fixture on the bike racing calendar since its inception in 1979.

"The meeting uniquely combines competition and friendship to make a great day's sport at a magnificent venue," explained ACU spokesman Mel Simpson, who lives in Nelson.

"Nowhere in the north of England are you able to see such a diverse range of motorbikes. Although it started out 22 years ago purely for vintage and classic machines, we have opened it out to modern bikes in recent years."

The course uses the one-eighth mile long main drive up to Hoghton Tower, with competitors trying to set a winning time from a standard start.

The fastest person up the drive in recent years has been Wigan's Richard Warlow, who stopped the clocks at 7.3 seconds on his Kawasaki ZZR1100 at an average speed of over 60mph.