An order has been placed in an attempt to crack down on high-speed races and car cruises taking place regularly in a Merseyside industrial estate.
West Lancashire Council recently ran a six-week statutory public consultation on the introduction of a public space protection order (PSPO) to deter organised car meets on Pimbo Industrial Estate just off of the M57, with councillors unanimously backing the order. The car meets often encourage dangerous and reckless driving and are regularly organised last minute using private Instagram pages and WhatsApp groups.
The ECHO also understands that the groups linked to the car meets at Pimbo are also the ones who played a part in organising the same car meet that saw the death of Sam Harding in April this year, as well as a number of meets that flood Merseyside . The 20-year-old from Stockport attended the car meet with his friends and was hit by an Audi S3, with a 21-year-old from Leeds being arrested at the scene on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.
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Skelmersdale Police provided evidence to support the application for a PSPO which will give officers the power to act quickly in stopping the gatherings of car racers who are causing, or likely to cause, nuisance, alarm or distress to people and businesses in the area. Councillor Gareth Dowling, Deputy Leader of the Council and portfolio holder for Communities and Community Safety, said: " I'm very pleased on behalf of all the residents and businesses affected by this issue to see the PSPO come into force.
"The feedback we received from the public consultation overwhelmingly approved this action and confirmed the strength of feeling residents have about the gatherings. The council sought to take decisive action over these unauthorised meetings – the time has now come to put a stop to them.
"Residents and businesses have endured the significant impacts these gatherings of performance cars have had and we hope this news will bring them some relief. Thank you to our partners in Lancashire Constabulary who have been met with hostility by 'racegoers' using our Borough as a dangerous racetrack. We will continue to work together to see these car meets stopped for good."
Chief Inspector Chris Abbott of West Lancashire Neighbourhood Police added: "We have listened to feedback from residents on how they feel about these gatherings and are committed to working with our partners to combat matters of this nature. Car meets such as these can significantly impact people’s quality of life, cause distress to residents often to the point where they don’t feel safe in the area they live.
"Tackling nuisance such as this is a priority and following the implementation of this PSPO we will ensure action is taken and continue to reassure members of the public."
PSPOs are designed to stop individuals or groups from committing criminal or antisocial behaviour in public places. The enforcement action can be taken by police officers, police community support officers and authorised council officials.
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