Car park 'used by boy racers'

A Staffordshire golf course car park is being used as a circuit for boy racers, users and residents have claimed.

People living near the car park, used by people using Chase Leisure Centre and Cannock Golf Course, Stafford Road, Cannock, want gates or barriers to stop speed-crazy drivers using it after dark. Campaigners say cars are racing around and causing a nuisance to people living nearby. Mike Edmonds, head of leisure and major projects at Cannock Chase Council which runs the leisure car park, confirmed there were problems.

"Leisure centre staff received a telephone call at night a couple of weeks ago about one such incident but the offenders drove away when they saw the centre's security staff," he said.

"We thank residents for alerting us to the situation, particularly when the leisure centre is closed and can assure them we will be monitoring the situation very closely."

One resident, who did not want to be named, said the drivers tended to arrive at around 10pm on weekends, playing music loudly and shouting among themselves so loudly it drowned out the noise of her television.

"I can't hear the TV when they go racing round and it's bad when dropping off to sleep," she said.

"The noise of engines revving is the last thing you want to hear when it's 1am."

She added that the motorists would drive off when police arrived to speak to them but return within a couple of hours.

Inspector Mat Derrick said police had only received two officical reports of boy racers gathering at the car park this month and that there had been an average of one report a month before that.

"We can only respond if people ring us and let us know," he said.

"I'm not aware of any massive increase in the problems up there but it is already part of regular patrol for officers and we will be monitoring it."