Local residents had complained about the boy racers

Crawley council took the firm to court for failing to prevent people from driving cars and motorbikes in its West Green store car park at unsocial hours.

At a hearing at Horsham magistrates on Thursday, Sainsbury's was also ordered to pay costs of �7,400 to the council.

In a statement afterwards, it said it had taken steps to address the problem.

"We take the situation in West Green very seriously... a security guard is present and we have installed numerous vehicle calming humps in the car park," the supermarket giant said.

'Residents suffering'

It added that the car park also had CCTV cameras, and there were barriers to the entrance and exit.

Lawyers for the company had pleaded not guilty to contravening or failing to comply with a noise abatement notice at a previous hearing.

Councillor Keith Blake, portfolio holder for Environmental Services, said Sainsbury's had a duty as a "responsible company to manage its site properly".

He added: "Local residents were suffering and our Environmental Health officers made sure that the nuisance has come to an end."

He said the council would continue to monitor the problem.