Peterborough City Council set to turn to injunctions and community protections orders to fightback against car cruising

Peterborough City Council’s Task and Finish Group has recommended the council cost a series of measures to crackdown on anti-social behaviour around car cruises, including placing injunctions, introducing community protection orders and public space protection orders (PSPOs).

The group, chaired by Independent Councillor Julie Stevenson, presented its interim findings in March but the recommendations will be put to the council’s cabinet meeting on Monday (June 20).

Amongst the other recommendations are that the council asks the city’s Police and Crime Commissioner to work with the Chief Constable to compile a report on how police can tackle the issue and that the council consider whether future planning applications should consider measures that will prevent antisocial driving.

The report identified Orton Southgate Industrial Estate (Stapledon Road, Holkham Road, Newcombe Way), Pleasure Fair Meadow Car Park and Vivacity Car Park, Hampton as hotspots and highlighted that is often ‘auxiliary’ events that many drivers go to after meetings that cause the most number of complaints and nuisance to residents.

Some business owners also complained of damage to their property. One business owner described coming to work every Monday to find windows to their premises have been broken by small stones thrown up by the cars as they skid outside the premises.

The report states: “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.

"The noise is chronic and relentless, pausing only when the drivers need to change their shredded tyres. Residents report an inability to sleep and to concentrate on tasks.”

The effectiveness of the police response has also been called into question. The introduction of the police webchat service has been praised but many residents have reported that they are often told that the police cannot send anyone to the scene.

Cambridgeshire Police have confirmed that they do not have the resources to answer all calls for service that relate to dangerous driving.

Among the proposals to cut down on the problem, it has been suggested that the council should look into preventing meets taking place at Pleasure Fair Meadow car park under the existing Woodston PSPO. These impose restrictions and requirements deemed appropriate to stop individuals committing anti-social behaviour in public open spaces. The penalty for breaching this is a Fixed Penalty Notice of £100.

Local authorities have the power to issue PSPOs to prohibit district-wide participation in events and even prohibit organisers of promoting events over the internet or by any other means.

Police have the power also issue dispersal orders when they become aware of meets, dependant on their ability to enforce the order.

Physical action has already been agreed to modify the road layout at Stapledon Road to deter such anti-social driving.

The report will be discussed and recommendations voted on in Monday’s cabinet meeting, which takes place at 10:15am. View it here.