New powers given to tackle ‘dangerous’ car racing in Leicestershire village

Car cruises in a Leicestershire village will face fines and have their meetings closed by officials after new measures to tackle the problem were approved. Cruises have been a problem in Castle Donington since the village’s relief road opened in 2020, according to a report presented ahead of this week’s cabinet meeting of North West Leicestershire District Council.

There have been “regular” big car meetups in the area over the period, which are usually organized in advance and advertised on social media, the documents added. This year alone, there have been “almost weekly” reports of village races involving “anywhere from 10 to 100 vehicles” and “roughly double” the number of spectators.

At Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, councilors unanimously approved, after just two minutes of discussion, a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to tackle cruises. This gives council officers and the police the power to close down meetings and issue penalties, including fines, to anyone who attends, allowing their vehicle to be used or chasing them.

READ MORE: Act to tackle ‘serious’ and ‘organised’ crime in the ‘disadvantaged’ area.

A dating PSPO was previously in place in the area, but it expired earlier this year. Where previous restrictions only applied to specific areas of Castle Donington, the newly granted PSPO will apply to the whole village. It went into effect immediately.

The meeting’s vice-chairman, Councilor Michael Wyatt, told delegates: “The problem (of car cruising) has continued to affect this area of ​​Castle Donington (covered by the original PSPO) and has moved more widely across the village, affecting quality. of life for local residents. With this in mind, a new order must now be put in place to allow the police and the council to take appropriate action.” He added that a consultation with local residents had revealed “broad support” for the new PSPO.

Castle Donington councilor Tony Saffell said: “As a resident of Castle Donington it has been a huge problem in recent years but the police are cracking down on it and the order seemed to be working. Things are getting better, but spreading (order) throughout the rest of the village will only help because the (cruisers) were starting to spread out a bit. So that’s going to tighten it up.”

The report also states that the encounters resulted in “dangerous driving” on local roads, which caused “risks to other road users”. It also creates “noise disturbance” for residents “from engines and music” and leads to rubbish, broken street. furniture and public roads being blocked.