Residents ‘feel broken inside by boy racers’
PEOPLE living in a South Wales neighbourhood say they are afraid to go out and can’t sleep because of local “boy racers”.
Local residents in Talbot Green have said the continuous noise from modified cars is making them feel “broken inside.”
Residents have reportedly been left unable to sleep or afraid to use public areas over the last few years, but the problem has become increasingly bad over the last few months, they say.
One local resident said that every night from roughly 8pm when the retail park closed, the modified car drivers all parked in the Nando’s car park until late evening or the early hours of the morning.
The complaints led South Wales Police to launch a crackdown on the behaviour under the name Operation Buena, in partnership with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and safety camera organisations GoSafe.
Police Sergeant Darryl Phillips, said: “We partnered with agencies that we knew would have an impact.
“The DVSA issued notices for illegally modified cars which can cause noise pollution and often exceed legal emissions limits, and GoSafe helped us to target speeding drivers.
“I hope the action we took sends a strong message of intolerance to those who drive irresponsibly but also a message of support to those whose lives have been plagued by loud exhausts, revving engines and screeching tyres for the past few months.
“Our roads and car parks are not playgrounds for drivers – sooner or later those responsible will find themselves on the wrong side of the law and of course there are consequences.”
People have reported hearing cars racing along the A4119 which connects Talbot Green with the M4.
They say they can regularly be seen driving at high speeds towards the Royal Glamorgan Hospital roundabout.
Mathew Moss, 44, has started a petition for something to be done about the “pop-bang noise” from these modified cars.
He has even taken to filming them on a GoPro to provide as evidence to police, and said: “I feel broken inside, I suffer with anxiety and depression like some of my neighbours and it’s really getting us down.
“Most of my neighbours are afraid to talk because they fear the reaction.
“No-one can walk their dogs past a certain point at night because the dogs are scared by the noise.
“It’s a nightmare, I feel like a prisoner in my own home. In the summer we have to keep all the windows closed and have music playing but you can still hear it.
“It’s just so loud, it’s insane. They sit there and rev their engines, they just don’t care about the effect it’s having on other people.
“You can be sitting at night trying to relax and it’s frightening, it’s like bombs going off.”
Another local resident who didn’t want to be named said they seemed to congregate at the shopping park after it was closed until late in the evening, but this intensified between 11pm and midnight.
They added: “Every time someone even mentions the cars on local hubs the people involved and their parents get quite aggressive and will not acknowledge that it is affecting people, or they just simply don’t care. In the last four years it has become unbearable.
“You can’t sleep with the windows open, you would never be able to sleep. We even have to sleep with a fan on to drown out the noise.”
A pilot scheme has been trialled in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where cameras have been installed that monitor noise and anti-social driving.
It saw more than 160 fines and 70 warnings issued to noisy and nuisance drivers.
Sgt Phillips said: “We continually listen to the community and are committing to tackling this kind of problem as results from recent operations have shown.
“Residents who have been affected have told me how our interventions have worked and made a difference.
“At this particular location, the landowners agreed to install a metal bollard which prevents access when business closes.
“Of course, anybody who continues to experience anti-social behaviour caused by inconsiderate and quite often dangerous drivers is encouraged to contact 101 immediately.
“We will respond and where problems persist we will continue to work closely with key partners to tackle it head on.”