Cameras plan to deter boy racers tormenting Market Drayton residents

Loud engines, blaring music and reckless driving have been reported at the two public car parks at Towers Lawn, and the town council has agreed to try to get the car parks there covered by security cameras.

Residents of nearby Smithfield Road appealed to the region's police and crime commissioner, John Campion, at a public meeting last week.

Mr Campion spoke at the Festival Drayton Centre last Thursday, and dozens of members of the public came along to share their grievances.

"Residents of Smithfield Road commented on issues regarding the Towers Lawn car parks and the noise from ‘boy racers’ late into the night," said Market Drayton Town Council's Roy Aldcroft.

"Not just engine noises but wheelies and loud music. The police have issued a number of warnings regarding their ability to confiscate and scrap vehicles should circumstances warrant it.

"Obviously we can’t have police officers there all the time, but if CCTV was installed, as one of a number of measures to reduce anti social behaviour on site, [it would help]."

Alice Grace Russell has lived in Smithfield Road for more than 20 years and said she noticed the problem soon after she arrived.

"We do have this problem every so often, it comes and goes," she said.

"At the moment it's quiet again because the police have been onto it but it's awful some evenings.

"They have these souped-up cars that backfire, it's just awful.

'Not fair'

"My neighbour does nights and he's got to go to bed early and get up early, it just wakes him up. It goes until 11 or 12.

"I don't mind people parking there, having a chat, but it's racing around with their cars backfiring. It's like a gunshot.

"This is just not fair. It's nuisance behaviour.

"People also race up and down Smithfield Road and there's no pavements. We've been trying for years to get it into a cul-de-sac or something.

"Certainly the last three weeks it's been much quieter, I listen every night to see if there's noise.

"Since the police got involved it's a lot, lot better. When the police come down it tends to go away for a while but then it comes back as bad as ever."

At the meeting last week town councillors agreed that they would ask Shropshire Council for permission to install CCTV at two of the Towers Lawn car parks.

Other issues raised at the meeting included speeding in the town and in nearby Woore, and the police station in Market Drayton which no longer has a public-facing desk.