CONSERVATION of the fells is a primary concern for the Friends of the Lake District.

Although vice chairman Brian Jones has been involved with the trails experiment for several years, he believes that the unsurfaced upland fells have suffered from vehicle use and only an outright ban in such places could protect them.

"We still support the hierarchy as an experiment but we do not believe that recreational vehicles should be allowed to use unsurfaced roads," he told the Gazette.

"Once the surface vegetation is damaged and stones become loose, the water will tear everything away.

The only way to protect the roads which have been damaged by one thing or another is to let them recover for a long time."

He said that the Friends particularly objected to the use of the national park by "cowboys".

"The big problem is that there are those people who are not in any responsible organisation or club."