MORE than 2,000 rebel bikers rode through Merseyside on a wildcat charity mission yesterday after plans to stage an official money-raising event had to be dropped for the second year running.
The Wirral Egg Run, which started 26 years ago, was shelved because organisers said costs to meet the safety regulations set by officials have spiralled out of control.
Around 5,000 motorcyclists annually descended on the borough to hand out presents to chronically-ill children and collect donations for local groups.
Organisers were forced to drop the event for the second time this weekend, saying safety marshal training, complete registration of all bikers taking part, and applications for up to 200 road closures along the 18-mile route would cost them £40,000.
But bikers from across the country, many in Easter-themed fancy dress, still turned up for an unofficial version yesterday.
Gordon Wheatcroft, from the Wirral Motorcycle Runs Committee, which used to organise the event, said: "There was a great turnout. There were more than 2,000 riders, we were quite surprised.
"But it shows that the Egg Run is a safe event. If an unofficial run can pass without incident, then the police and council should really be able to accommodate an official event without all the expensive regulations.
"There is no official run. We were unable to come to an agreement with the Events Advisory Group, which includes the council and police, and through which any event in Wirral has to be arranged.
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