MICHAEL Bierton is one of the few people in Essex who enjoys commuting and now he's made a business out of his pleasure.

Michael has started the quad bike company, Quads R Us, to exploit a new social trendthe increasing number of people who chose to travel to work on these all-purpose vehicles.

The managing director of Racetech, the Southend company that supplies much of the seafront cruising culture, said: "I always keep an eye on what's happening on the road. It gives me an insight into what's happening in the marketplace, and from that I can get new ideas for my business.

"I started to notice as I went to and from work that there were one or two regulars riding on quad bikes. They just looked so much happier than everyone else."

Michael also noticed an increasing number of quad bikes taking part in the Saturday night cruising spectacular on Southend seafront. "I reckoned soon everyone's going to want one," he said.

Michael made the ultimate gesture of faith in quads. He got rid of his car, bought a quad and started using it for the regular journey from his Great Stambridge home to Racetech's headquarters on the Temple Farm industrial estate.

He said: "The advantages are great. You've got all the advantages of a motorbike, like speed and manoeuvrability, with the stability of a car. "They don't cost much to insure, and environmentally they're much more friendly."

Michael also started to notice the absence of regular suppliers of quad bikes in south Essex. He said: "I reckoned that there was enough demand to set up a specialist company, and when my wife also agreed, then I knew we were on to a good thing."

Michael and wife, Lianne, realised security might be an issue for commuters. "We've now devised a special alarm system to protect the quad bikes that we sell," he added. As well as fun, the other thing a quad driver gets in spades is weather. Yet it is no problem for Michael. "Rain, it's part of the fun," he said.