Dozens of trail bike riders and 4X4 drivers met on the Ridgeway near Wantage to show their anger at the ban.

Off-roaders face a seasonal ban on stretches of the ancient Ridgeway from Wiltshire to Buckinghamshire.

They have been blamed for ruts in the 85-mile route, which is thought to be at least 6,000 years old and have been used by prehistoric man.

The Ridgeway runs from Overton Hill, near Avebury in the south, to Ivinghoe Beacon, north of Aylesbury, and passes numerous Stone Age and Iron Age hill forts and burial mounds.

All six councils along the route have agreed to the seasonal ban which will be imposed over the winter months.

But quad bike fans from the Land Access and Recreation Association said they have been unfairly blamed for damage.