MPs have apologised to bikers for suggesting half of them have no road tax.

Earlier this year, the Commons Public Accounts Committee claimed there was widespread road tax dodging - based on Department of Transport figures suggesting 38pc of motorcyclists haven't paid up. It called for tough action to clamp and crush untaxed bikes.

But now civil servants have admitted they got it wrong and that the real figure is more like 10pc.

Committee chairman, Tory MP Edward Leigh, said: "I apologise to law-abiding motorcyclists offended by our original report, and I look to the department to make a similar apology.

"We expect departments to be accurate, and when they are not sure their figures are reliable, they should say so."

The British Motorcyclists Federation says machines are often garaged over winter and many owners pay annual road tax for three or four months' use.

It admits some bikers could be tempted to register their machine as off the road if it is only used a few times a year.