Ashfield District Council welcomes powers to clamp down on M1 car cruisers at Hucknall junction 'ripping around corners'

Councillors have welcomed new powers to clamp down on car cruisers "ripping around corners" and making noise near Junction 27 of the M1 motorway.

Ashfield District Council has extended its public spaces protection order (PSPO) in the district for a further three years, aimed at clamping down on public nuisance and anti-social behaviour.

The order has also been varied to give the council more powers to stop issues at the motorway junction, described by councillors as a "real problem" for police.

Debating the PSPO in Thursday's full council meeting, councillors described scenes of people being "genuinely frightened" by the cars and said concerned residents had contacted them late in the evenings about the problem.

Large crowds of people have been reported watching cars "worth anything from £40,000" and with expensive modifications, leading to traffic lights being set up around the loop of the busy junction.

The PSPO, approved by the cabinet on Monday, will now restrict car cruising in the area and give the council more powers to issue fines to those responsible.

Councillor David Martin (Ash Ind), who represents nearby Selston, says the problem has been a "difficult issue" to tackle.

"[The PSPO] is a very important paper, but in particular I want to highlight the work done at Junction 27," he said.

"This includes Highways England, which has installed traffic lights at the junction. That helped to stop the circular route and cars ripping around the corner.

"When they do that, you can hear them right around Selston, up Annesley Lane and in Underwood, because the tyres screech.

"At times I'd come through that junction and there would be upwards of 300, even 400 people sat on the banks watching, but the police have now put some cameras up there.

"These are not boy racers, these are people with cars worth anything from £40,000 with improvements on. It has been a real problem and a difficult issue for the police."

Cllr Chris Baron (Con), who represents Hucknall West, added: "This is good news, particularly up at Junction 27 where I once went to the police [about this].

"The number of people up there, including mothers and children in pushchairs, observing, and [the drivers] make people genuinely frightened of the cars."

He also raised concerns over the "boy racers" congregating at the McDonald's, near Tesco in Hucknall, before using the nearby roads as a "circuit".

Inspector Mark Dickson, Nottinghamshire Police's district commander for Ashfield, is also supporting the new measures.

He said: "We realise people put a lot of work into their cars and are often very proud of them. However, too many end up driving in a dangerous, reckless or anti-social manner, which puts other road users and themselves at risk of serious injury or death.

"We regularly carry out proactive operations targeting this issue and when we catch people committing these offences there will be consequences for them. We will prosecute them and we may even seize vehicles."