Supercar racers spark storm of protest in affluent village
A VILLAGE is being plagued by racing motorists in high-performance cars, leading to a flood of complaints from residents to police.
The drivers have been accused of holding organised meetings in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, to race their vehicles, with onlookers filming their wheel spinning and high-speed driving to post it on Youtube.
Thirty-three speeding motorists were caught in the space of a single day last week as they raced along a stretch of road into the village.
Part of Cheshire’s “Golden Triangle”, the Alderley Edge area is home to many Premier League footballers and to TV stars including Paddy Mcguinness, the presenter of Top Gear.
In July, a “car meet” event was halted after patrols prevented multiple cars from travelling to the village.
Now Cheshire Police and Cheshire East Council have asked residents to take part in a survey of the problem.
Police said it is possible people living in the area could be among those responsible for the racing, and added that their inquiries “will engage with local residents, businesses and visitors in the area including those who may be involved in the behaviour”.
“We have been receiving increased reports concerning anti-social behaviour relating to performance vehicles travelling through and visiting Alderley Edge,” police said in a statement.
“While we appreciate this behaviour is only being displayed by a minority of individuals, it has however come to our attention that this is potentially having a detrimental impact on those visiting, residing and working in the area.”
The force added the noise from excessive revving “can be extremely loud and upsetting”, in addition to presenting a “serious risk” to the public.
Craig Browne, a local councillor who first raised the issue, has posted on social media that following a brief respite during the lockdown, the supercars and spectators are now back in greater numbers.