West Cumbria's only motorcycle training centre is moving to a new base.

Cumbria Motorcycle Training is due to relocate to Moorclose Community Centre, on Needham Drive.

The business, which has been based at Harrington Road for 19 years, lost its training track at Southfield Technology College, which is being demolished.

Stephen Palmer, owner, said: "For the basic training we need a safe place away from the traffic and after losing the area at Southfield, we found out that the other area we use for basic training at Harrington Road is going to be shrunk. 

"We've already tidied up part of the site at Moorclose and we're hoping to carry on the work in the next couple of months."

He added that it would be a gradual move, with the track starting to be used as soon as the site is ready and the main office being moved later in the year.

Mr Palmer said: "It's a bit of a scary move when you've been in the same place for such a long time, but at the same time it's exciting. Moorclose Community Centre is becoming a real hub. We're hoping to move completely by the end of the year.

"The site at Moorclose is double the size of what we've ever had.

"We're the only motorcycle training centre left in West Cumbria.

"I feel like I'm trying to give a service to the area. Because of changes in rules and regulations, it would have been easy for us to walk away a few years ago, but I decided to hang on, there needs to be somewhere down here for people to do the training locally."

Gerald Humes, director of the community centre, said he was happy about the new addition to the hub, which comes only a week after charity West House announced its move to the centre, in the former sixth form campus.