A SEA of revved up mayhem was cheered down the A38 as the Plymouth Mega Ride took place on Sunday.

Nearly 5,000 scooters, Harley-Davidsons and other power-packed machines swarmed down the dual carriageway as riders from all over the country joined forces for the charity fundraiser.

Bikers gathered at Lee Mill Industrial Estate from 8.30am ready to set off for Plymouth Hoe at midday, where they were greeted by stalls, supporters and Plymouth Calendar Girls.

Now in its 18th year, the event is organised by Richard and Sue Bounds and was postponed from June after wet weather prevented riders from taking part.

It has raised thousands of pounds for charity since it began and will this year donate its funds to Operation Henry, Drake Sailing, Devon Free Wheelers and MacMillan Nurses.

Richard, who is also chairman of Plymouth Motorcycle Club, said: 'We asked the club to choose which charities to support and we picked three smaller ones this year to help build them up.

'The recession has hit them hard, so hopefully we can help.

'It was a really successful day. The bikers filled the Hoe and the weather was good. We had a real mix of people here from all over the country.'

Sue added: 'Consid-ering it was postponed from June, we had a great amount of support and we must thank everyone involv-ed for making it such a fantastic day.

'We had 92 emails on Monday morning saying how much people had enjoyed the day, so hopefully we'll be able to put it on again next year. We will announce the final fundraising total in the coming weeks.

David Snelling, the managing trustee of Operation Henry which supports those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, said: 'As one of the major Ivybridge-based charities we are very fortunate to have been sponsored by this wonderful event.

'We had a stand and display on the Hoe and received a tremendous amount of interest.

'Our main aim is to increase awareness of pancreatic cancer.

'The money we receive will go towards looking after patients and giving them the highest level of care and I must congratulate the organisers on making the event such a wonderful success.'