A motorist’s antisocial street racing has been described as the some of the “poorest” driving one police constable had ever seen.
Harry Easton was caught racing another car between two roundabouts along the A608 Mansfield Road at Junction 27 of the M1, known as Friezeland Interchange.
The 21-year-old was seen accelerating harshly in a red BMW and driving at speed around the two roundabouts just before midnight on April 6.
Officers were proactively patrolling the area in an unmarked vehicle as part of Operation Wheelspin when Easton sped past, with little consideration for his safety or other motorists.
Once officers caught up with Easton, his car was stopped, and he was issued with a Traffic Offence Report (TOR) for driving without due care and attention and without insurance. His car was also seized.
TORs cover a wide range of motoring offences, such as driving without a seatbelt or with worn tyres and can result in a fine or penalty points on a driving licence.
Operation Wheelspin is Nottinghamshire Police’s targeted county-wide response to car cruising, where motorists meet to race at high speeds and perform reckless stunts.
Officers from the force’s neighbourhoods and roads policing unit are out each week patrolling hotspot areas for unlicensed car meets and Nottinghamshire’s wider road network.
The latest data show that offences have decreased by 20 per cent since the operation was launched last year.
Easton, of Peterborough, pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle without due care and attention and without insurance when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on August 4.
He was fined £1,011 and was ordered to pay £120 in costs and a £404 surcharge. Easton also received six points on his driving licence.
PC Lewis Cragg, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Easton was clearly street racing with no regard for his safety or that of any pedestrians or other motorists. It is simply luck that his driving did not result in a collision.
“I witnessed Easton driving around the roundabouts at speed far too fast to be considered safe and his poor driving fell well below that of a careful and competent driver.
“We have a zero tolerance for antisocial driving. Stunts, collisions, and excessive speed by often young and inexperienced drivers can result in life-changing injuries and fatalities on our roads.
“Motorists from across Nottinghamshire and those who travel here to race will be prosecuted.
“Our message is clear: Nottinghamshire is not a personal racetrack and we will continue to do everything we can to keep people safe, disrupt antisocial motorists, and bring offenders to justice.”
