Boy racers in Norwich to face £100 fines as part of new clampdown
Police in the city will be handed new powers to tackle anti-social driving
A clamp down on boy racers has been given the green light after people living in Norwich have been terrorised by antisocial driving for years.
Police in the city will be handed extraordinary powers as part of an effort to tackle reckless and noisy drivers.
The Labour-led Norwich City Council has agreed to implement a city-wide Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which will ban anti-social activities such as excessive speeding and revving of engines, loud music, wheelspins and doughnuts.
Anyone who breaches the PSPO could be fined £100, which can go up to £1,000 if they fail to pay. Enforcement will be handled by police and council officers.
While Britannia Road has been a hotspot for yobbish drivers in recent years, there have also been issues with people doing doughnuts in the St Saviour’s Lane car park just off Magdalen Street and drifting around Sprowston Retail Park.
Addressing her cabinet colleagues, Beth Jones, the deputy leader of City Hall, said they had to take a Norwich-wide approach because otherwise the issue simply moved around, impacting more residents.
Previous measures have targetted specific areas, such as a three-month overnight closure of Britannia Road car park in Mousehold Heath, which ended in May.
She said: “We have had issues with the congregation of vehicles in a number of areas of the city for many years, causing noise, antisocial behaviour and to be frank significant safety concerns.
“Our residents have the right to live free from the intimidation and antisocial behaviour that too frequently accompanies these gatherings.”
She said introducing a PSPO would be a “robust solution” that is already used in other areas in Norfolk, including Great Yarmouth’s seafront.
Unlike Yarmouth, Ms Jones said the issue was more spread out and affected more areas.
The cabinet unanimously supported the PSPO.
An exact date for implementation has not been revealed but it could be as soon as next Friday (July 21).