Residents can have say on car racing ban in Stafford

Residents can now have a say on plans to ban cars racing along a main road in Staffordshire.

Stafford Borough Council wants to introduce legal orders to stop car meets and car cruising along the A34 on the outskirts of Stafford between Trentham and Junction 14 of the M6. It follows a number of complaints over six months to the police and council about the potential risk to other road users and nuisance to the public.

Senior councillors were told people living near to the area have been kept awake by shouting and engines being revved.

Now the council are proposing to bring in a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on the stretch which would mean any driver breaching the order would face a £100 penalty - or could be taken to court where they could be hit with a £1,000 fine.

Before further action can be taken the borough council must gauge feedback from members of the community on the potential PSPO for the road. Anyone wanting to have their say can do so from the council’s website.

The consultation is running for three weeks from Wednesday 22 May and for more information go to www.staffordbc.gov.uk/public-spaces-protection-order-consultation. If granted, the PSPO would be in place for three years.

People unable to respond online can pick up a paper copy at the Civic Centre, Riverside, Stafford ST16 3AQ, contact corporatebusiness@staffordbc.gov.uk or call 01785 619000. 

Councillor Jill Hood, Cabinet Member for Communities, said the car racing was not only dangerous, it also affected people living on estates close to the business park where the vehicles meet.

“People living nearby are having to put up with shouting over the noises of revving engines for long periods of time - and late at night. I live on the A34 and I’ve witnessed it. I have watched them taunt each other as they’ve slowed right down, then accelerate to ridiculous speeds to race."

She added: “I would encourage residents and businesses to tell us if they support our plans so that we can introduce a PSPO to help us tackle this nuisance in our area.”

Members of the council’s cabinet gave the go ahead for the consultation at a meeting earlier this month (7 May). The full report is available from www.staffordbc.gov.uk/23-24-Committee-Meetings