Police in Ashfield have issued a warning to people who meet for a weekly car cruise near the M1 that they are being watched and will be prosecuted if they drive dangerously or aggressively.
Officers are concerned about regular Sunday evening gatherings in and around Junction 27, where a large number of cars park up in a layby – with some then driven recklessly and at high speeds through nearby roads and on the motorway itself.
In response Nottinghamshire Police will be issuing a Section 34 Dispersal Order every Sunday evening between 6 pm and 1 am – allowing them to order people out of the area without having to arrest them.
The force will also be deploying additional officers and resources to the area over the course of the summer to target people who break the law.
A Public Space Protection Order is already in place in the area to clamp down on antisocial behaviour – allowing officers to take enforcement action against vehicles engaged in certain actions, including making excessive noise, being driven in convoy and accelerating aggressively.
A police drone may also be used to spot and evidence acts of reckless and dangerous driving.
Inspector Mark Dickson, district commander for Ashfield, said: “We realise people have put a lot of work into their cars and are often very proud of them.
“We also have no issue with people meeting up to admire each other’s’ vehicles – so long as they are doing so at a responsible distance. But these meet-ups become a problem for us when people drive those vehicles in a way that puts other road users (and themselves) at risk of serious injury or death.
“If we catch people committing these offences there will be consequences for them. We will prosecute them and we may even seize vehicles if they continue to be driven in an antisocial manner.
“We really don’t want to have to do that so I would urge anyone who plans on attending these meet ups in the weeks ahead that we will be maintaining both a visible and an unseen presence in the area.
“These really aren’t measures we take lightly, but we are sufficiently concerned by some of the behaviour we have seen in this area to take these additional steps.”
The local council have backed the force’s actions.
Cllr Helen-Ann Smith, Cabinet Member for Community Safety said “Ashfield District Council has been working closely with the police to tackle the ongoing issues at Junction 27. Car cruising is dangerous, not just for those involved but members of the public using the roads safely.
“The PSPO in place needs to act as a warning to those that think its ok to act in this anti-social way, we will not tolerate lives being put at risk and fixed penalty notices will be issued to those caught.
“The Council and police are committed to ensuring that car cruising does not become an issue within the District.
“We welcome the police action as this behaviour disturbs our local residents.”
Tackling dangerous and reckless driving is one on the Ashfield neighbourhood policing team’s three main local policing priorities. These are set by local residents using Nottinghamshire Police’s What Matters survey and agreed with the Police and Crime Commissioner.
If you have any local concerns you would like to discuss with the police please contact 101.
