A Nottinghamshire council leader says that old airfields could be considered as a possible venue for nuisance racers, as some people say that revving engines and screeching tyres are keeping them awake at night. There have been increasing reports in recent weeks from people living in the areas around Gedling village and Colwick that cars and motorbikes are racing around the nearby industrial estate.
Residents say the noise levels have become so bad at some points that they have called the police about it. The leader of Gedling Borough Council, John Clarke, is now among those calling for action to be taken.
Councillor Clarke, who represents Netherfield for Labour at the borough council, says measures such as the issuing of Anti-social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) brought nuisance racing "to a stop" at one stage but that since ASBOs were replaced in 2014, reports have been on the increase. He says that the problem has become particularly bad again over the last 18 months.
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Councillor Clarke said: "Having peace in your own home is an important part of your life but we can only go so far. We also need to ask the police to step up by having extra patrols, going to the meets and getting right in the faces of these people.
"This started some years ago. We had the ASBOs that did work and brought this to a stop but that's obviously not ongoing anymore."
Homeowners in Colwick who neighbour the industrial estate have expressed their concerns that the dangerous racing is increasing. Michael Lowe, who is 52-years-old, said that he's struggling to sleep due to the loud exhausts.
Mr Lowe said: "I had to phone the police to tell them as it was in the night. They were racing and it is dangerous. It's terrible, we can't sleep because of them going fast - it's the exhausts making a noise."
A resident of Colwick for 14 years, Shirley Connolly, who is in her 50s, said that you can hear the screeching of the cars. Shirley said: "It's not like it's all the time but you can definitely hear the cars and it sounds like they are racing. Revving on the engine, screeching on the brakes and handbrake turns. I've never actually phoned the police about it."
Dean Alldis, 57, said that he has heard the racing as late as 11pm. He said: "They're going up to the top end of the estate, using the car parks and listening to the police radio because as soon as the police come, they scarper off. There's screeching, tyre burnouts and it's like 11 o'clock at night.
"We sleep with the window open because it's a hot house and if a car door bangs our dog Charlie reacts to it. When that's happening, he doesn't rest at all. If you want to go somewhere, rent Donnington race track."
Councillor John Clarke said that laws need to be strengthened, such as having a more permanent version of dispersal orders which ban certain individuals from an area for a period of time. But in the meantime, as well as the need for more police patrols, Councillor Clarke says that more appropriate venues for the racing should be found.
He said: "I understand that people spend a lot of money on these machines and I don't want to stop people completely from doing it, but we have to find a way of doing it that doesn't cause complete havoc for people. This has been going on for about five years and we must have some old airfields and so on in this area that could be suitable for this.
"But there is probably an element where the breaking of the law, which these people know they are doing, is part of what entices certain individuals to do it. I have had reports that some people have now started roaring up and down the new Gedling Access Road.
"It is very bad at the moment and we're getting reports from across the Gedling borough about this. We need to wake people up to what is happening."
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