Police officers in Basingstoke are treating car meets in Basingstoke as a 'district priority' after revealing they disrupted two planned events last week.

The events, which officers say attract anti-social behaviour, see people gather with high-performance cars, often in quiet industrial car parks.

Hampshire Constabulary are urging residents to contact 101 if they become aware of planned events, saying they may be able to use dispersal orders to stop them from happening.

PC Bex Mason, from the Basingstoke Neighbourhood Team, said: “Our message is clear; anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Basingstoke.

“We will deal with this type of disorder whenever and wherever it occurs, and we will continue to work with our partners to combat this issue in the longer term.

“We would also like to remind people that if certain car modifications are not declared with the DVLA, it could mean your insurance is no longer valid and your vehicle may be seized.

“Anti-social use of a vehicle can also result in the driver receiving a S59 warning, which could result in any future vehicle driven by this person being seized should they continue to drive in this manner."

The Gazette has reported in recent months about efforts that police have taken to shut down car meets.

Last month, officers in the town stepped up patrols after breaking up meets consisting of more than 100 people.

Hampshire Constabulary said that two planned car meets were disrupted in the town on Friday and Saturday last weekend (September 18 and 19).

They have identified four areas as "areas of note": Sainsbury’s car park on Wallop Drive, St Michael’s Retail Park in Brighton Hill, Basingstoke Leisure Park and Daneshill Industrial Estate.

PC Mason continued: “Moving forward, we have a joint plan in place with our partners at the local council and will be working closely with their community safety team to keep our communities safe.

“We are aware of the significant impact these kind of incidents are having on our community as you are telling us on social media, but the current volume of reports does not reflect this.

“It is vital that you report any pre-planned or active car meets on 101 or via our website in order for us to effectively deal with the problem.

“We value your concerns and every bit of information helps us to direct our resources and provide the best service to our communities.”

Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s cabinet member for communities, Cllr Simon Bound, said: “These kind of events cause significant noise, disruption and distress to our local residents not to mention the additional serious concern about the standards of driving and associated behaviours by some attendees.

“I fully support the District Commander’s decision to make car meets a district priority which will have the effect of escalating it to the county-wide Antisocial Behaviour Task Force.

“I would urge any resident who suspects a family member of being involved in this kind of behaviour to discuss the seriousness of the situation and the potential consequences of continuing.”