Car cruising events BANNED across West Northamptonshire in a bid to crack down on noise and anti-social behaviour
Councillors have approved an order banning car cruising across West Northamptonshire for the next three years, amid concerns about anti-social behaviour and noise.
The new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) will allow the council and Northamptonshire Police to hand out fines or court prosecutions to drivers and spectators taking part in dangerous or disruptive car meets.
The ban will cover the whole of West Northamptonshire. The council hopes to tackle car cruising in identified hot spots such as the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, the A45 off Junction 16 of the M1, the Sixfields Roundabout in Northampton, and the Moulton bypass.
One resident, who said their family had been woken up in the night by the sound of racing cars, said: “I love where I live, but these cars are making our lives a misery.”
Another added: “We have had this problem for well over seven years and nothing has been done. I am actually scared of driving these days due to the idiots on the road.”
According to the reports, people could be found in breach of the protection order if they are racing, driving vehicles at excessive speed, revving engines, driving vehicles in a convoy, performing stunts such as doughnuts and wheel spins, and causing obstruction on roads.
Authorities have said the events frustrate and concern local residents and create ‘significant demand’ on police resources. Some meet-ups have attracted over 150 cars and several hundred spectators at a single event.
Cllr Bob Purser (Labour) told committee members that the report was welcome, but warned that orders are “only as good as the enforcement of them”. He asked for assurance that the council has sufficient capacity to properly impose the new regulations.
WNC leader Mark Arnull said that he would discuss enforcement with the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner at a panel meeting next week.
He added: “Residents, businesses and road users in West Northamptonshire have been continually detrimentally impacted by a range of anti-social behaviours and related activities across the district.
“Some of these events are often so large they block the roads of lawful use and that’s very much the purpose of this rule here.”
PSPOs are powers used by councils and their partners to address anti-social behaviour in a defined public space. Attending or taking part in car cruising is not a criminal offence in its own right, but failure to comply with a PSPO restriction will be punishable by a £100 fine or a court prosecution with a penalty of up to £1,000.
The order was approved by the cabinet and will run for a maximum period of three years, with the opportunity to extend.