SPALDING is being turned into the “Wild West” by boy racers who plague the town centre with their wheel-spinning and horn-blaring antics.
South Holland district councillor Roger Gambba-Jones claims the lives of residents who live within earshot of the noisy cars which congregate in the town centre almost every night are being made a misery.
And he has renewed his calls for those who live and work in the town centre to form a Neighbourhood Watch-style group to help tackle the problem, and some of the other issues affecting Spalding.
He said: “I witnessed the boy racers for myself last weekend and I was horrified.
“I really feel for the people who sit in their houses in that area listening to these inconsiderate, selfish drivers, every night of every weekend.
“It’s shocking. It’s like the Wild West out there and these young drivers obviously have no fear that they are going to get caught.
“Police do have the powers to confiscate cars for repeated offences and one car was taken away recently, but that hasn’t put them off because it just doesn’t happen often enough.
“Most of the time they get away with it because confiscations are by far the exception rather than the rule.”
Coun Gambba-Jones said he witnessed two cars obviously racing against each other at high speeds out of Sainsbury’s car park and down past the railway station, and just a couple of minutes later another pair racing along Winfrey Avenue.
He said many of the boy racers have clearly spent a “small fortune” on their cars, adding large exhausts for maximum sound effect, then revving their engines as much as possible.
He said: “I am a bit disappointed that no one has set up a Neighbourhood Watch in the town centre.
“What it needs is a group of citizens to say ‘we live here and we are not going to put up with it anymore’.
“That’s best done by the people who have to suffer the consequences of these problems as they obviously have the motivation to keep up the momentum going forward.”
A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said they had received complaints about vehicle anti-social behaviour in recent weeks and officers had been focusing on the area and using powers available to them to address any infringements, including fixed penalties or even car confiscation in one case.
He said: “We continue to encourage local residents to report all incidents to us as they are happening to ensure we can deal with the problem in the most effective way.”
l Have you been affected by this problem? Call our newsdesk on 01775 765420 or email spaldingeditor@jpress.co.uk