A MOCK crash between a motorcyclist and a car was staged in Upper Heyford for the filming of an ITV4 show featuring the county's Biker Down workshops.

The Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service course has been teaching bikers how to stay safe on the road over the past eight months and that was put to practice with celebrity motorcyclist Henry Cole yesterday.

The TV presenter, from Clanfield near Bampton, was put to task at the Thames Valley Police's base at Upper Heyford when he was thrust into a crash scenario in which he was first on the scene.

He said: "It was amazing, they put me through my paces.

"As a motorcycle rider since 16, I thought I had a basic idea of what to do when faced with an emergency.

"But – put it this way – the first time I did it, the response from the guys was 'well at least you stopped for the accident'.

"Any biker should do this course, for me I learnt so much and us bikers need to get off our bums.

"It was all fake for me but what amazing work all three emergency services do and we as bikers have a duty to try and help them."

The Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service course was launched last August to help reduce figures that revealed that motorcyclists make up about one per cent of total road traffic accidents, but accounts for 19 per cent of all road user deaths in Oxfordshire.

It teaches motorcyclists what to do if they are first on the scene of an accident involving a biker.

Oxfordshire Road Safety Manager Mick Clarke said: "We have done about two or three courses a month with about 12 people each time since starting and it has been extremely well received."

The Motorbike Show will air on ITV4 in July.

Free Biker Down courses will be held on Tuesday, May 17, in Faringdon Thursday, June 23, in Headington and Tuesday, July 19 in Eynsham.

For more information contact BikerDown@Oxfordshire.gov.uk