A Highland landowner has issued a safety warning after a teenager was injured in an off-road motorbike accident.
Farmers Julian and Angie Cox, who own Meddat Woods near Milton, in Easter Ross, have urged people to avoid their land on off-road vehicles after the incident last weekend.
A 14-year-old boy was taken to hospital after colliding with a tree while riding a motorbike in the area with friends.
A police spokeswoman confirmed that the boy had suffered broken bones in the accident.
Mr Cox was involved in helping the boy from the scene of the accident in a farm 4×4 vehicle to a waiting ambulance.
The land had been cleared and improved by the owners, who last night said that they would not be allowing people to use off-road vehicles in the area.
In a statement Mrs Cox said: “The four young lads did not have our permission to go scrambling on our ground.
“They were on their own, unsupervised. There is no way that any permission has or is going to be granted to anyone in the future.
“We have spent a lot of money clearing the footpath and river of fallen and dangerous trees.
“We are upset that people then feel they have the right to use the cleared core footpath as their own personal scramble track, blatantly disregarding the safety and pleasure of everyone else.”
She added: “People like the footpath because it is wide enough to walk side by side most of the way round. It takes you away from the main road and is a quiet, beautiful and peaceful place to take children, dogs and horses.
“The last thing any walker wants is to be passed at speed by a noisy, smelly quad or motorbike.”
The couple also said they had suffered “appalling” abuse from some motorbike riders that they had tried to stop from using their land.
They added they had had problems with anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping – warning that someone could be “seriously hurt”.
Mrs Cox said: “We are now looking at ways of gating our tracks and woodland to limit the access of non-authorised vehicles and motorbikes – again at our time and expense.”
A police spokeswoman confirmed that officers had assisted at the scene on Saturday afternoon. She added that a complaint had been received about the use of vehicles in the area and an inquiry is ongoing.
