Full impact of car cruising in Peterborough revealed - as spectators use business skips as toilets and cars break windows at regular meets

The full impact of anti-social driving following car cruise events in Peterborough has been revealed as councillors are set to discuss proposals to tackle the issues tonight.

Residents living near hotspots have had to put up with the brunt of issues, and a council report has shown they have made more than 300 calls to police in the past three years. Businesses have also reported large litter problems following events, broken windows, and even people using skips as toilets.

Proposals to implement a city wide injunction will be debated by councillors tonight (Tuesday).

Residents struggle to report issues to police

A report to councillors, has been revealed that in total, there have been 335 calls to police about issues caused in three specific hotspots in Peterborough (Pleasure Fair Meadow car park in Woodston, Orton Southgate industrial estate and the Vivacity car park in Hampton) between January 1 2019 and September 30 2022. Calls for service were also received for Royce Road, Greyhound Stadium and parts of Werrington. There were also complaints about Brotherhood Retail Park where people experienced antisocial behaviour due to weekly car cruises and antisocial driving. However, the actual number of complaints to police could be even higher, with residents reporting difficulties getting through to officers.

“The negative impact of this antisocial behaviour on residents cannot be understated.”

Councillors have spoken of their fears someone will be killed while watching the cruisers driving dangerously.

The report says: “Once a car cruise ends for the evening, it is common for a substantial number of drivers to drive to another location where they participate in driving that is antisocial and dangerous. It is these ‘auxiliary’ events that generate most of the complaints

from residents. These are also the events where accidents are more likely to occur.”

The report adds: “The negative impact of this antisocial behaviour on residents cannot be understated. The annoyance, distress, and frustration that residents report is not the result of an isolated screech of a tyre or beep of a horn. It is now common for the noise and the

smell to start from around 9pm and finish at around 3am on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, and on some weekday nights too (particularly since the start of the pandemic when the roads became quieter). The noise is chronic and relentless, pausing only when the drivers need to change their shredded tyres.”

Cllr Julie Stevenson, who has worked on finding a solution to the issues caused by the events, has called for organisers of the cruises to engage with authorities.

Spectators use business skips as toilets

Businesses have also had their say on the issues caused, with firms in Orton Southgate particularly impacted.

The report said: “One business owner describes coming to work every Monday to find windows to their premises have been broken by the antisocial activity over the weekend (small stones thrown up by the cars as they skid outside the premises). All mentioned the amount of debris and litter on the street after every weekend meet, as well as structural damage.

“Several business owners complained that those gathered at the car meets use their business’s skips as toilets.”

The report will be debated by the Growth, Resources and Scrutiny Committee.