Speeding, noisy bikers are making people's lives a misery on a busy main road.

But this week those living alongside the A229 through Marden, Staplehurst and Cranbrook, were delighted to hear that the government is targeting the route as part of its rural roads survey.

Kristina Avery, of Angley Road, Cranbrook, said: “At weekends the noise is horrendous and the speeds the motorcyclists travel along here makes my blood run cold. There are places to do that sort of thing on race tracks and not on the road.”

The A229 has several crash sites flagged up with warning biker signs. The road has claimed several riders’ lives, one of the worst places being Rocks Hill, between Staplehurst and Cranbrook, and the Marden turn-off at Stilebridge.

People claim they are driven out of their front gardens by the noise from up to 50 bikes at a time roaring past on Sunday mornings and returning later.

Operation Interact 2008 has been set up to target bikers with officers on marked and unmarked police bikes stopping riders for speeding and poor riding. Bikers with noisy exhausts were prosecuted.

The Kent and Medway Safety Partnership also attends bike meetings, including Brands Hatch, to warn about the dangers of speeding.