Bikers hit out over policing.Byline: Will Oliphant BIKERS have hit out at "over the top" policing by Warwickshire Warwickshire (wŏ`rĭkshĭr), county (1991 pop. 477,000), 975 sq mi (2,525 sq km), central England. The county seat is Warwick. The terrain is gently rolling, with outcroppings of the Cotswold Hills in the south. Constabulary of their annual Bulldog Bash The Bulldog Bash is considered to be one of Europe's most popular, annual, motorcycle festivals with a reported attendance of 50,000 people in 2007. It takes place over a weekend in mid-August, at the Shakespeare County Raceway, which is situated outside Stratford-on-Avon in England. festival. The event, organised by the Hells Angels at Long Marston Airfield Long Marston Airfield was a Royal Air Force base between 1941 and 1954, situated approx. 3 miles south west of Stratford-upon-Avon. It is now home to the Shakespeare County Raceway dragstrip and a flying club, and is probably most noted as a venue for summertime music festivals, , near Stratford, gets about 50,000 visitors a year. Earlier this year police tried to shut it down, partly as a reaction to the murder of Hells Angel Gerry Tobin, who was shot on the M40 as he made his way home from the show in 2007. One of the event's organisers, who calls himself Echo, said: "We just think it's unnecessary. They put on a big police operation last year costing pounds 1.4 million and they stopped 500 people and only ended up with three prosecutions. "We think it's completely over-the-top." Visitor Neil Prior, from Cambridge, said: "It doesn't warrant all the police here, there's never any trouble." Nick Rossano, of Worcester, who has been coming to the event for five years, said: "It's a great event, normally I bring the whole family. "We've never seen any trouble, it's very well policed internally." For pictures and to watch * a video of this story, visit www.birminghammail.net and click on 'videos and pics'. |
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