Wokingham Borough Council received more than 80 complaints of unauthorised car meets in one calendar year.
82 incidents were reported between January 2021- January 2022, predominantly in the Carnival Hub car park in Wokingham town, the Mereoak Park and Ride near Three Mile Cross and supermarket car parks across the borough.
In response, the Council are now giving residents the opportunity to have their say on the next steps regarding activities associated with unauthorised meets, including dangerous driving, racing, aggressive acceleration, and braking, sounding horns, playing loud music, foul language, and threatening behaviour.
Disappointed to hear of anti-social driving, noise nuisance, excessive speed and even violence at @sainsburys Birch Hill car park over the weekend. @BracknellForest Council, @ThamesVP, @TV_PCC and store managers should now work together to ensure this is not repeated - please!
— James Sunderland MP (@JamesSunderl) May 9, 2022
An online survey has been set up and will remain open until July 19.
The survey asks residents if they have been affected by car meets, where it was held and the impact it had on them.
The council is proposing that all land owned, maintained, or managed by the local authority be covered under the PSPO, as well as any other place to which the public has access.
It would be an offence to promote, organise or publicise any event where the prohibited activities take place and to attend an event where the prohibited activities take place.
With the results of the survey, there are plans in place to set up a Car Cruising Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which would give it greater power to tackle dangerous and anti-social behaviour.
If the PSPO is created, anyone who does not comply could be fined up to £1,000, or receive a fixed penalty notice of up to £100. It can be enforced by a police officer, police community support officer, or an accredited council officer.
Cllr Ian Shenton, executive member for environment, sport and leisure, said: “We want to ensure Wokingham Borough continues to be a safe place for our residents and the behaviour associated with these car meets completely goes against that.
“Some of the people who attend these gatherings show little or no regard for the people around them and we want to send a clear message that we are serious about tackling this extremely anti-social behaviour.”
READ MORE: Sainsbury’s Bracknell urged to shut car parks at night
This is not only an issue in Wokingham, but Bracknell too.
Just last week MP for Bracknell, James Sunderland, spoke on the matter at Birch Hill Sainsbury’s in the town.
Speaking during day two of the Queen’s Speech debate he told the House of Commons: “On Saturday evening at Birch Hill Sainsbury’s in Bracknell we had a big car meet.
“Fine, I love cars, I’m a motorsports fan, I chair the motorsports APPG (all-party parliamentary group), but activity like that needs to be managed and controlled.
“We had people spinning cars, doughnuts, tyre smoke, huge noise.
“It got to the point where residents were being assaulted.
“This cannot happen.
“I’d urge first of all Sainsbury’s to lock their car parks at night if the shops aren’t open. What an easy way of dealing with it. But also, I’d urge Bracknell Forest Council, the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner, Thames Valley Police to deal more responsibly with these incidents because they just cause misery for all those concerned.
“We’ve got to cut down on speed, we’ve got to cut down anti-social driving, we’ve got to cut down on noise nuisance."
Click here to take the survey.
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