Peterborough councillor says incident which saw woman seriously injured at car meet ‘highlights risks’ of events

A woman was seriously injured when she was struck by a car at what police described as an ‘organised car meet’ at Stapledon Road, Orton on Friday night.

Emergency services were called to the scene at 10.20pm. Yesterday (Tuesday) police said the woman was still in hospital.

Councillors have raised concerns about car meetings being held on the street over the past few years.

Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, Orton Waterville councillor Julie Howell said; “I was very concerned to learn that a bystander has been seriously injured.

“Stapledon Road is a public road and should not be used for stunt driving, nor should there be spectators on the side of the road, where there are no safety barriers to protect them should a driver lose control.

“This incident highlights the risks to pedestrians who attend these unauthorised meets. There are no safety measures in place, no marshals on hand to direct people to safety and presumably no one close by to administer crucial first aid while the injured person awaits the ambulance service.

“Quite apart from the disturbance these events cause to local residents, we want people to enjoy themselves safely, and to understand that standing to watch drivers perform in these circumstances carries great personal risk.

“We hope the lady who has been injured makes a full recovery.”

Cllr Christian Hogg, who has a unit on Stapledon Road and has campaigned about anti-social driving in Peterborough in the past, said the situation was now out of control.’

He said; “We feel like we have largely been ignored by police - we were told the police thought Stapledon Road was a private road, when it is a public road.

“The police have been very stand offish, and the situation has grown and grown. The area now has a reputation for somewhere you can race your car, and drift your car.

“The events are not organised in any way other than a post on Facebook. There is no health and safety, it is not authorised by the land owner.

“We have been told there will be traffic calming measures, but those have been delayed and delayed.

“The accident that happened at the weekend is deeply regrettable, and we have every sympathy with the woman who was hurt and her family.

“But it was not a case of if something like this would happen, it was a case of when.

“There needs to be something done to break this sort of thing up.”