A senior police officer has warned youngsters not to hold illegal high-speed car events after a meeting involving 300 drivers.

The secret gathering - or "cruise" - at Team Valley Retail Estate in Gateshead on Saturday featured a series of races.

It followed other cruises held across the North East in Stockton, Seaham, Sunderland, and Bishop Auckland.

Inspector Paul Gilroy, of Northumbria Police's motor patrols division, said: "The cars in themselves aren't dangerous - it is the manner in which they are used.

Film studied

"We are concerned when we get such a large number of people descending upon us with no notice at all."

A number of motorists at the Team Valley Estate were given speeding tickets, and officers are studying video footage so see if any arrests can be made.

Cruises are arranged by word of mouth and through the internet.

Participants spend thousands of pounds turning ordinary cars into high performance vehicles.

Public complaints

Shadow Transport Minister and North Yorkshire MP Anne McIntosh, said: "I take a very serious view of this and shall seek to raise it in the House of Commons."

Industrial estates are a favourite meeting place for high-speed gatherings, which can include handbrake turns or the burning of tyres.

No one was injured at the latest gathering, although there were some complaints from the public about noise.

Residents of Bishop Auckland in County Durham have complained to police about gangs gathering to speed across the nearby Newton Gap Viaduct.