Screeching amid car meet crash chaos
RESIDENTS witnessed a loud and chaotic evening that ended with a pedestrian being hit by a vehicle at a car meet.
A 32-year-old man is being treated for “serious injuries” after the incident near the MFN events venue, close to Shipley Gate, Eastwood, at around 7pm on Sunday.
Police were called and neighbours have described hearing loud noises and screeching.
Hairdresser Annette Connolly, 44, said: “Nothing like that has ever happened before around here.
“The sirens were really loud. There was a screeching of cars – we didn’t know what had happened.
“Via Facebook it had come up that there had been a serious crash, that someone was hurt.
“It’s only for showing cars. You don’t normally get stupidity. I think it’s just a one-off.”
Retired Val Pollard, 86, of nearby Church Street, added: “There were all these cars, mostly young men, flying about in their cars.
“I heard all the sirens, two police cars, an ambulance and a fire engine.
“They have a lot of big rallies – mainly cars or motorbikes.”
Another Church Street resident, who did not wish to be named but went to MFN, said: “The car went down into the ditch.
“I didn’t see but my partner did – there was just hundreds and hundreds of cars.
“It was very chaotic and busy just trying to get into the drive.”
The meet-up has also raised concerns following a Public Spaces Protection Order recently introduced by Broxtowe Borough Council.
The order has made motor gatherings in South Eastwood a criminal offence.
But a councillor has said that it can be difficult to enforce the order when many people who attend car meets are not from the area and may not know about it.
Councillor Marie Hannah, who represents Eastwood St Mary’s, said: “I went to one of the Neighbourhood Watch meetings for Eastwood a couple of weeks ago and there were two policemen from the area who shared that MFN had that specific order in place.
“Some of the challenges they did say are that we don’t know how widely known it is in the area, so if you get people coming from outside of the area who don’t know about that order.
“You know anyone could come from Devon or Liverpool or wherever. Those motorbikes are still coming into the area.
“So it gets quite difficult in that sense to decide how far and wide to put that notice up.
“They did say there are continuing visits to the area possibly by people who are not aware of the issue.
“But again I’m not quite sure how widely known it is that that order is in place.”
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Police said: “We were called by EMAS at about 7pm to reports of a Toyota Yaris colliding with a pedestrian.
“The victim, a 32-year-old man, was taken to QMC with serious but apparently not life-threatening injuries. He is still in hospital.”