BARBED wire has been strung up between trees on Salisbury Plain

Police were alerted on May 16 to the incident in the area close to Bravo Crossing in Netheravon.

They say initial enquiries carried out by the MOD have found that it was not part of any military exercise and it is suspected that it was done deliberately to deter off-road motorcyclists.

PC Marc Jackson, of the Rural Crime Team, said: “The consequences of this act could have proved fatal had a motorcyclist collided with the barbed wire. This is not the first time such tactics have been used to try to target off-roaders.

“The continued use by off-roaders in the woods, plantations and along tracks on Salisbury Plain is becoming a real cause for concern amongst other users of the plain, and while we appreciate this is causing tension, resorting to such methods is not acceptable and anyone caught placing items which may cause harm to other individuals can expect to be prosecuted accordingly.

“The majority of off-roaders respect Salisbury Plain and act lawfully. However, the small majority still continue to abuse the Plain and use areas which are not open to the public. I appeal to those individuals to stay out of the areas where public access is not granted. Stick to the public rights of way.”

If anyone has any information call police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.