Car cruising order will hit boy racers

Ashfield District Council has approved a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to prevent car cruising on Junction 27 of the M1 and the A611 bypass.

A full meeting of the authority voted to enact the PSPO from February, which will prohibit people from engaging in, encouraging or assisting in the carrying out of any ‘car cruising’ events on the public highway, and

other land to which the public has access.

A report to councillors stated: “Car Cruising on Junction 27 of the M1 Motorway and the A611 bypass has been a significant problem for a number of years. Research indicates that use of a Public Space Protection Order is 
an effective control measure to reduce nuisance and harm.

Given the ongoing problem with car cruising around Junction 27, creating a new PSPO to tackle this issue is the most practicable option.”

Over the past six months Ashfield police have been working closely with Nottinghamshire County and Ashfield District Councils to run a special operation tackling car cruising on the M1 at Junction 27.

Back in January 2015, the police and the two councils worked together with other community safety partners to obtain an injunction at the location which allows police to issue notices to offending drivers.

These notices warn them that if they take part in car cruising they will be in contempt of court and may be sent to prison with a maximum two-year sentence or an unlimited fine.

The problem continued to persist so in June 2017, a multi-agency operation was put in place which resulted in regular, increased patrols down the stretch.

They also organised key dates over weekends and evenings to target the spot and stop any vehicles they might be concerned about. A public consultation on the PSPO ended on January 16.

A total of 82 first stage injunction warnings were handed out and two vehicles seizures for having no valid insurance Police Sergeant Carl Holland, who ran the campaign said: “We really feel that we’ve made a positive impact through this operation. Car cruising has been causing problems for people who live in the area and there is a genuine risk that they could put lives in danger including their own. The results speak for themselves and this type of anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Nottinghamshire.”