Boy racers and 'nuisance' drivers face crackdown in north Norfolk

‘Boy racers’ causing a nuisance in parts of Norfolk are set to face tougher sanctions which could land drivers with huge fines for revving engines, beeping their horns or playing loud music.

North Norfolk District Council has proposed introducing a new public order in a bid to tackle antisocial behaviour associated with car meet-ups.

The new rules could come into force in four towns – Cromer, Stalham, Fakenham and North Walsham – as part of a county-wide initiative called Operation Octane.

Under the plans, a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) will come into force in certain areas, which gives the council and police more powers to issue fines and prosecute nuisance drivers.

The clampdown will prohibit people from revving engines, performing stunts like ‘doughnuts’ and handbrake turns, beeping the horn unnecessarily, playing loud music, littering and using abusive or intimidating behaviour.

Drivers will also be banned from public car parks between 7pm and 6am if the intention is to display or race cars.

People breaking the rules will face fixed penalty notices, which could result in fines of hundreds of pounds or even convictions.

The introduction of the PSPO will follow similar rules being rolled out in other parts of Norfolk.

Norfolk Police has also launched Operation Octane, which aims to work with councils to prevent antisocial driving.

While the problem of ‘boy racers’ affects the whole county, areas around Norwich have seen the biggest number of reports, with a third of calls being made within this district in the last two years.

Hotspots tend to be in retail parks or industrial estates.

While the problem is small in north Norfolk – only 4pc of calls received were in this area – there are fears tougher sanctions in other parts of the county, such as Norwich, will result in drivers looking elsewhere for car meets.

Cabinet members will discuss introducing the PSPO at a meeting next week.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.