‘I had to leave Batley – it feels too lawless’
A WEST Yorkshire man has moved away from “declining” Batley to protect his safety from “dangerous” boy racers.
Nigel Harnell is passionate about making a change to the issues with speeding in the town, repeatedly reported to police by residents.
Nigel moved to Mirfield after witnessing an elderly woman die on his road after being hit by a car, and has repeatedly seen neighbours’ cars destroyed.
“I’d like to go live in Batley again, but it feels lawless at the moment”, he said. It comes after two of his former neighbours in White Lee Road found their car “knackered” at 11.45pm on Saturday, April 11.
A vehicle thought to be speeding smashed into the back of a parked car in White Lee Road.
A resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, went out to her car to find glass debris, the car scratched, and a rear light missing.
The owner said: “Just another day in Batley. What more will happen on these roads without anything being done, because of reckless, stupid, incompetent drivers? I have had enough now.
“I have no back headlight and a massive dent and scratches on my car. I am so angry. To get woken up by another bang just triggers all sorts of emotions.”
Nigel added: “We all saw an old woman get killed on that road last year. My belief is that we’re going to have a load of fatalities this year if nothing is done.”
He highlighted that he first witnessed a woman hit by a car on White Lee Road, before hearing about his friend’s car being damaged, and he has shared video clips with Examiner Live of a boy racer spotted on April 12 on the same road. Nigel said: “The council don’t want to know. We’ve pushed them to help and people keep complaining but nothing is happening. “The problem is, the individuals in these cars, usually lads who are teens to early 20s, get issued a £90 fine when they get caught and that’s it.
“Imagine if they got their cars taken off them – then they would think twice before speeding again.”
Despite now being a Mirfield resident, Nigel has a number of friends and family members in Batley, and often goes back.
He added: “If I don’t see any action put in place, I will be going to the next council elections, to stand outside and protest. People need to be voting for those who are going to make significant change to this ongoing issue.”
In a statement issued on social media, MP Kim Leadbeater said: “I don’t think anyone on here will be surprised to know I get a significant amount of correspondence from people about speeding.
“I just want to let people know I am working incredibly hard to try and improve things and will continue to do so. However, despite being an MP, I am only one person and I sadly cannot solve every problem on every street.”
What do you think?
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