CRUISING CONFLICT

Tension is rising in St Peter's Street, Maidstone between local residents and racers. As night falls the area is transformed to a cross between Brands Hatch and Indianapolis 500.

It is literally the throbbing, squealing heart of a subculture of car fanatics, who are making their presence felt throughout the South East.

Manic mile

As many as a thousand cars proudly motor up and down Maidstones’s ‘manic mile’ and meet to show off their cars.

Girl racers are also angering Maidstone's residents

They demonstrate the capabilities of their modified engines, the immense volume of their stereos and the speeds their prized cars can achieve.

Car culture is an increasing phenomenon amongst girls too - but they hate the speeders who spoil it for everyone else

One girl told Inside Out, "You can meet new people, see what other people are doing to their cars… It’s a good social thing."

Residents' anger

Some of the residents Inside Out spoke to are very angry about the disruption these 'meets' cause in the area.

They experience the following problems because of the congregation of motor enthusiasts…

• Excessive noise level until very late from screeching tyres and thumping stereos.
• Some residents complain that they are unable to open their windows due to the immense noise.
• Speeding racers create a major risk of road accidents.
• General mayhem cause by the sheer size of the crowds.

Some residents moved from London for a quiet life. One resident told us;

"We came here to retire and have a bit of peace and quiet. It’s a joke."

Breaking the law

A prized sound system in one girl racers' boot

Despite their annoyance, residents and the police cannot stop the car fanatics’ ‘meets’. They are not illegal.

What is illegal, is the behaviour which some racers exhibit during these ‘meets’.

This includes exceeding the speed limit and performing wheel spins.

The police could take action if they were able to catch the car fanatics breaking the law. Chief Inspector Mark Salisbury told Inside Out;

"The sight of a marked police car tends to only stop behaviour temporarily until we go away again."

Difficulty with resources means that Chief Inspector Mark Salisbury cannot give unlimited resources to catching the racers.

Action

Inside Out spoke to several residents who have taken action into their own hands. One told Inside Out;

"Everybody knows they race, it’s just trying to catch them."

"The police haven’t got the numbers to do it so they’ve told us this is our best option."

They are trying to gather evidence for the police.

In the mean time, the racers, local residents, council representatives and Police Officers are jointly meeting to find somewhere more appropriate for these 'meets'.

Until that can be resolved, it looks like the residents and racers will continue to live dangerously side by side in this community which is on the brink of a full-scale battle.