Night-time road closures were to tackle problems with boy racers

Residents say an experimental scheme which has run in The Leas and Sandgate Road areas for the last six months has helped control the problem.

Pc John Weller said the road closures had helped to "design out" the problem and stopped people using the town centre as a through route.

The pilot scheme continues until next September and will then be permanent.

Short cut removed

Residents had complained they were unable to sleep, could not hear their televisions and could not open their windows during the summer.

They complained to Pc Weller that the "boy racers" were taking over the roads from the evening until the early hours, after which the pilot scheme was introduced.

Pc Weller said the scheme had also removed a short cut.

He said Section 59 of the Road Traffic Act allowed police to deal with motorists driving carelessly and dangerously by warning them or seizing their vehicles.

"After you have tried Section 59, the only way is to go the same way we have, and design out the problem.

"It has worked here and I don't see why it can't work for other areas that have the same road layout that we have," he said."