THE Queen’s bodyguards at Balmoral are going green by swapping Range Rovers for bicycles.

Cops protecting Her Majesty at her Scottish estate are being urged to patrol it on mountain bikes rather than gas-guzzling 4x4s.

The move is designed to save fuel and provide a more eco-friendly way of guarding the Royals on their summer break.

Uniformed officers constantly scour Balmoral’s gardens, tracks and 50,000 acres of Aberdeenshire countryside for intruders.

Now the peace of the glens will remain unspoiled by the noise of engines.

A source said: “Wherever possible the grounds are being patrolled by officers on black mountain bikes.

“They are delighted — they’re slashing the fuel bill and getting a good workout as well.”

Protection duties at Balmoral, where the Royals traditionally spend each summer, are carried out by the local force Grampian Police.

This is not the first green idea tried at Balmoral.

The main castle’s boilers have been converted to run on wood chips to save oil and Prince Charles has experimented with harnessing water from the River Dee to cut electricity bills.

The Queen is due to welcome PM Gordon Brown and his family to the castle at the weekend.

d.larcombe@the-sun.co.uk