MOTORCYCLISTS have voted a Huddersfield road the second worst in the UK.

Readers of Motor Cycle News said in a poll that Leymoor Road, Leymoor, was a road to ruin.

And it's a clear winner in the North.

One correspondent says: "This road has been falling apart for the last two years."

And the magazine said: "This road is a steep downhill gradient, making things even more dangerous."

Leymoor Road only narrowly missed out on top spot in MCN's run-down of the top 10 'roads of shame'.

Number one was Great Baddow High Street in Chelmsford, Essex.

It came top in the poll on the magazine's website.

Readers submitted nominations which were then narrowed down and put to the vote by a panel of experts.

The magazine said of Great Baddow High Street: "This road looks like a jigsaw, with its cracked fault lines and botched repairs .

"Great Baddow High Street ticks all the bad road boxes, from slippery white lines to badly repaired potholes and destabilising cracks."

Roads in Grimsby, Manchester, Sussex, Potters Bar in north London, Cambridge, Carlisle, Glasgow and Peterborough also featured in the magazine's top 10.

The magazine is promising to pay for repairs to the number one worst road.

Jeff Stone, spokesman for the British Motorcyclist Federation, said potholes, cracks and slippery surfaces made riding a nightmare.

He added: "It might sound obvious, but the biggest snag when you are on a motorbike is that you are on two wheels as opposed to four, so you are already unstable.

"Hitting a bump in a car can be uncomfortable. Hitting one on a bike can be catastrophic.

"Main roads in and out of towns tend to be OK.

"It's when you get out into urban areas that you can get problems. That's a reflection on local authorities trying to keep council tax down."

A Kirklees Council spokesman said Leymoor Road was earmarked for improvement. He added: "Utility companies have been very active in this area and we are aware Leymoor Road needs resurfacing.

"It forms part of the £10m Better Roads initiative. It is due to be resurfaced as part of this programme in the financial year 2008/09."