More than 600 scramblers from across Brighton and Hove have signed a petition urging the council to find them somewhere to rally.

They are asking for a piece of land to be allocated in the area for dirt biking so they can practice their sport freely.

Two petitions have been launched, one supporting youngsters in Woodingdean and another by youngsters in north Moulsecoomb, Brighton.

The campaigners are among an increasing number of young people across the city who are taking up off-road biking as a hobby and want somewhere to carry out the pastime without being branded a nuisance by residents.

Residents in Whitehawk in Brighton and Woodingdean have complained about the nuisance caused by young people off-road biking on land near their homes.

Many are trying to get an officially recognised track established in the city so the youngsters are supervised and safety rules introduced, which would reduce the nuisance factor.

The young people in the north Moulsecoomb area have been using Woollards Field, north of Moulsecoomb, as a motorbike track for several years and want it recognised as an official permanent track.

A group of about ten young people from the estate launched a petition on Saturday which they will present to Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council and New Deal for Communities, the Government scheme which has £42 million to invest in the whole of East Brighton to revitalise the communities.

Mother-of two Karen Wilkinson of Bexhill Road, Woodingdean, who organised the petition for youngsters in that area, said: "My son Cameron is 11-years-old and he loves his bike. It is all he wants to do. He is not allowed out on his own and I always go out with him to supervise.

"The kids used to go to Sheepcote Valley, a field at the top of Woodingdean and ride their bikes there, but they closed it about three months ago and now the youngsters have nowhere to go.

"A lot of them have been spilling into the villages and into Whitehawk. They are getting in trouble. They are using the fields around the area and the residents are complaining about the noise.

"There is so much biking talent in Brighton, but there is no dirt bike club and nowhere for them to practice. Off road biking keeps youngsters off the streets and out of trouble.

"If they had a proper field to go to you could make sure the youngsters were supervised and have to wear belts and helmets. The summer holidays are coming up now and the problem will just get worse if they still have no where to go. They will use whatever land they can."

The Woollards Field site is owned by East Sussex County Council and some residents in Moulsecoomb fear it could be lost to car parking should Brighton and Hove Albion get the go-ahead for a stadium at nearby Falmer.

Mother-of-two Mandy Chapman, lives in Moulsecoomb and her son enjoys the sport. She said he is fortunate as she and her husband have the facilities to take their son and his bike to Lancing to use the official track there.

She printed off her petition sheets for the youngsters, but has left them to take on the campaign themselves.

She said they collected 70 signatures in just a few hours and are continuing to collect names.

Mrs Chapman said: "The youngsters are using the track anyway. If it was made official we could get adult supervision up there which would be safer for the young people.

"I don't think there's been any complaints about them using the track because the railway line on one side acts as a barrier to the noise."

A spokeswoman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "We are looking to see whether there is a suitable site to provide an organised facility for bikers and we would welcome any views people have on possible locations that might fit the bill."