THE road safety minister has defended the high-octane stunts performed on the BBC’s Top Gear programme and described the presenter Richard Hammond as an “adventurer” after he was seriously injured in a 300mph crash.

Some critics of the show have accused it of glamorising speed, encouraging “yobbish” driving and promoting gas-guzzling vehicles.

However, Stephen Ladyman said he was “distressed” that some people were using Hammond’s crash in a jet-powered car as “an excuse to knock the programme”.

Speaking as the BBC announced that the next series of the programme had been postponed following the crash, he said: “Richard is an adult and he chose to drive that test. If there’s a land speed record someone will want to break it. He clearly is an adventurer and he was doing something that he wanted to do and enjoyed doing. I think it would be really sad if a real tragedy like this one was used to attack an entertainment.”

This weekend an engineer who built the Vampire car in which Hammond crashed described the BBC and the organisers of last Wednesday’s stunt as “irresponsible”.

Roy Phelps, who helped to build Vampire and a sister car, Hellbender, in about 1980, said they were intended to reach speeds of only about 200mph.

Hellbender was involved in a crash in 1986 in which Mark Woodley, an experienced dragster driver, was killed.

The owners of Vampire, Primetime Land Speed Engineering, said it had been updated and had passed all technical inspections over the past 10 years.

Police and officials from the Health and Safety Executive are jointly investigating the crash, which happened on an airstrip at Elvington, near York. The BBC is conducting an internal inquiry.

The car veered off the runway during Hammond’s seventh run of the day and repeatedly flipped over before landing in grass. It is thought the front right tyre burst, although other possible causes have not been ruled out.

Hammond, 36, is believed to have achieved a speed of 315mph in his previous run. He had to be cut free from the wreckage and was airlifted to Leeds General Infirmary where he was visited yesterday by his two young daughters.

He has taken his first steps unaided and last night was moved to a general ward from the high-dependency unit. His brother Nick said: “He’s doing great.”

Andy Wilman, Top Gear’s executive producer, denied the presenter was attempting to break the British land speed record of 301.7mph, set by Colin Fallows, of Primetime, in July.

“We did talk about one of our guys doing a land speed record . . . but we very quickly abandoned that idea because we realised that we didn’t want to give any presenters a target,” said Wilman.

Hammond was filming for a new series due to start on October 8 but last night the BBC postponed it indefinitely.

The corporation said: “The priority for now must be ensuring Richard makes a full recovery . . . when it is suitable . . . we will announce a new transmission date.”

Ladyman, who was featured racing (and crashing) a car on Top Gear last year, denied the show encouraged reckless driving. “They celebrate great engineering and, yes, they celebrate fast cars . . . but, equally, they’ve had me on the programme giving out road safety messages,” he said. “People don’t go onto the road and break the speed limit because they watch Top Gear.”