A COUNCILLOR has said there is no “current workable solution” to car meets in Basingstoke and the problem is “getting worse.”

In October last year resident Mark Burrows started an online petition to stop anti-social car meet ups in the Sainsbury’s car park in Wallop Drive.

Mark said that on an “almost nightly occurrence” at around 9.30pm residents in the area were bothered by “intense engine revving” as well as doughnut stunts, wheelspins and “loud unsociable music up to and often past midnight”.

After calling for swift action and the petition amusing over 200 signatures a permanent automatic number plate system was installed to deter the meet ups.

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During a crime and disorder joint scrutiny committee meeting held last week Brighton Hill councillor, Cllr Andrea Bowes said the problem has got worse.

She said there has been a "significant problem" with car meets at various locations including St Michael's Retail Park, Asda, Brighton Hill Playing Fields as well as further afield.

She said: “Unfortunately, this has been made worse with the recent success of preventing them at Sainsbury's [in Wallop Drive] because they relocate causing misery elsewhere.

“They are becoming a major issue because they keep residents awake until the early hours."

She said residents are tired of putting up with revving engines and “fumes that surely would fail any emissions test’ and the squealing of breaks.

She added: “We keep telling residents to log the incidents so that police can identify problem spots but they are getting discouraged because they are not seeing any improvement.”

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: “Every time this happens, we want to call 101 but we can be on hold for almost an hour and sometimes there are no police available to attend, which can carry on for hours before they get moved on.”

Another resident who reported a meet up was told the incident "did not disturb the peace”.

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Scott Johnson, district commander for Basingstoke confirmed that police are monitoring the situation.

He said: “I have listened to a number of issues around car meets and I do hear the concerns you have raised. I think in discussions with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and with my colleagues from my roads policing teams we know the evenings are often the peak times of demand.

“They are challenging to problem solve and you quite rightly pointed out at the Sainsbury's a camera was set up to deter but we know it does push them elsewhere, but we are actively looking at options.

“It is something we are aware of and we are actively monitoring it.”

Despite this Cllr Bowes said that she finds it hard to report any progress.

She added: “It feels like the drivers know this and assume they will never have to face consequences of their actions sometimes even bragging about it on social media.”

She said she would like to see resources focus on antisocial behaviour as well as a “properly resourced plan to tackle the growing problems of car meets.”

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