CALLS have been made for a popular fundraising biker event to return to the town centre after it celebrated its 17th year at the weekend.

The call comes after hundreds of bikers took part in the Hoggin the Bridge event on Sunday, which now finishes at Chepstow Racecourse instead of the town centre.

Residents are now asking for it to come back to the high street in a bid to help local businesses.

More than 1,600 bikers travelled round Chepstow and through Caldicot, Magor, Undy and Rogiet on Sunday as the fundraiser saw machines great and small sweep over the Old Severn Bridge on route to the racecourse.

The petition to bring it back to Chepstow town centre was started by Sedbury resident Austin Lee, who said that because Hoggin the Bridge finishes at the racecourse, it has "caused a massive impact on small and local businesses in the town centre" and it doesn't have "as many spectators" as previous years.

Mr Lee said on the change.org website petition: "All local businesses continue to put huge effort to the event and feel it's only fair they are part of the special day they have supported for so long, not to mention making Chepstow a better day out for bikers and the people that support the cause."

The petition, which will be given to Monmouthshire County Council after it hits 1,000 signatures, already has 344 signatures.

One of the rumoured reasons that the event was moved from the town centre was due to safety concerns by the organisers.

Simon Curtis, a Hoggin the Bridge committee member said that the event has ended at the racecourse for several years now, and was moved after a member of the public was hit by one of the bikes.

He also said that the organisers would not be looking to move the event back to the town centre.

Mr Curtis said: "A few years ago, an accident occurred where a bike hit a pedestrian and this brought about safety concerns about it stopping in the town.

"The organisers decided it was safer for riders to go around Chepstow and into the racecourse. The event has been growing over the years and if it was still finishing in the town centre it would have been out of control.

"Thousands of people would be in the car parks and bikers would be finding places to park."

Mr Curtis also said that having the event finish at the racecourse makes it easier for riders, as well as anyone wanting to see the bikes.

He said: "The racecourse is made for holding large events and its easier for riders to park up there and a lot safer for people to come and see us there.

"When it finished in Chepstow town centre we had a lot of people joining us for the ride but then they weren't contributing anything to the charities we were fundraising for, which is the whole point of HTB, it isn't about the bikes, its about the charities."

Although the event may not come back to the town centre, Chepstow town councillors say that are happy to support it.

Town mayor Paul Pavia said: "It's been at the racecourse now the last three years, so I don't think its unreasonable to have a review of the event and as a council, we would be more than happy to sit down with the organisers and discuss this further."

This year, the event supported Meningitis Now as its main charity while also raising money for 'Blood Bikes' and St John's Ambulance amongst others.

Although fundraising totals are still being counted, organisers believe that they are on track raised more than £100,000, which is the total raised over all 17 ‘Hoggin The Bridge’ events.