Richard Brunstrom hits out at off-road riders

Police chief Richard Brunstrom has defended taking a helicopter trip over Snowdonia by saying he needed to see the damage done by off-road motorcycling.

The controversial North Wales chief constable, 53, had faced criticism for wasting money on the trip but he claimed it was necessary to appreciate “the damage caused by off-road motorcycling on the hills”.

He has posted pictures of track marks in the hills on his online blog at www.north-wales.police.uk.

A spokesman for the pressure group People for Proper Policing said: “I don’t think any member of the public would view this as an efficient use of an extremely expensive resource. It’s about time this man retired.”

Brunstrom said it was his first trip in the helicopter in eight-and-a-half years of “iron self-denial”.