A FIRE chief has blamed tourist drivers coming to mid Wales to “race around” on the area’s “Top Gear” roads for an increase in crashes.

Mid and West Wales Fire Service Chief Fire Officer Chris Davies made the claim as he addressed members at a Ceredigion Council meeting on Thursday.

BBC’s Top Gear programme is famed for its presenters driving fast cars on idyllic winding roads throughout the world.

Mr Davies said that a 19 per cent spike in road traffic collisions since 2006 was an “annual increase” and blamed visiting motorcyclists from over the border in England.

“This time of year, in the summer months we have a considerable amounts of accidents, particularly in the Powys area, on the, what I call, Top Gear roads,” Mr Davies said.

“The roads through mid Wales are where we have a whole load of people racing.

“The question is whether these are people from the mid and west Wales force area or a large number of people from the West Midlands on motorbikes coming in to the area.”

Mr Davies said that an increase in road traffic collisions is also due to “people not adapting their behaviour for the road conditions” and the “poor state” of drainage - particularly in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

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