A BASINGSTOKE councillor has spoken out against the growing trend of car meets, after his ward was listed by police as a ‘targeted’ area.

Cllr Andy Konieczko (Lib Dem, Brighton Hill) told the Gazette that he has dealt with resident concerns over “boy racing”, particularly at St Michael’s Retail Park.

“There have been some incidents of boy racers, and anti-social behaviour involving cars in certain parts around St Michael’s Retail Park,” he said.

“We had a few issues where the barriers were broken down and people racing around and keeping residents awake. It’s probably worse in the summer when people need to leave their windows open at night as well.”

Cllr Konieczko said that he worked with the landowners at the retail park and “that issues seems to be better now than it was in the past”.

However, referencing the police reports of more than 100 cars attending these events at any one time, he added: “It is absolutely concerning. It’s not considerate for the local neighbours and it’s not safe for people using the sites.

“It’s selfish anti-social behaviour that we need to stop. It’s not what anybody wants to see. It’s not what the local residents or retail park users want, and it’s also a risk to the safety of anybody who is there on the site, whether that’s people there for the meet or not.”

As previously reported, Basingstoke police have taken to social media to publicise additional patrols in Brighton Hill Retail Park and Basingstoke Leisure Park, as well as in Wade Road, Bell Road, Stroudley Road, and Rankine Road. These are aimed at cracking down on the problem.

Cllr Konieczko continued: “The police have got an important role to play, and also the landlords of the various premises have an opportunity to improve matters. [They] need to step up and deal with it.”

Sending a message to residents, he urged people to document their experiences and pass them to the police.

“If people are aware of these incidents, what is often best is to keep a record, dates and times, and if it keeps happening on a fairly regular basis, let the police know. Having that proof over a few days really helps.”

Incidents can be reported to the police via 101, or 999 in case of an emergency.

Alternatively, you can report incidents to the police online at: https://orlo.uk/W3QSy