New £100 fines for car meet organisers and attendees

People who organise or go to unauthorised car meets can now be fined £100 under new measures.

A Public Spaces Protection Order has been put in place by Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Police after60 car meets were reported since January 2025.

The order makes it illegal to organise, promote, or attend unauthorised car meets in Swindon. People are also barred from parking or using their car at the events.

Insp Joe Senior, based in Swindon, said: "Unauthorised car meets are a drain on police resources and a source of community complaints and we have seen examples of dangerous driving endangering other road users at previous car meets."

The gatherings, sometimes known as car cruises, see drivers meet on public roads or large car parks to race or show their vehicles to each other.

The order has been introduced following a public consultation, which saw more than two thirds of respondents support its introduction.

Anyone found breaching the order can be fined £100, which will be reduced to £75 if paid within 14 days.

Jim Grant, Swindon Borough Council's cabinet member for communities and partnerships, said: "Unauthorised car meets cause real harm and disruption to communities by putting lives at risk and damaging our environment.

"Tackling anti-social behaviour will help us build a fairer Swindon and this new order builds on our wider work to protect public spaces, support residents and ensure that everyone feels safe where they live and work."

The council said evidence about car meets and people in attendance would be collected via police patrols, CCTV and body-worn cameras.

Signs about the order have been put up in areas which the council described as "hotspot areas" - including Ashworth Road, Ramsden Road, Kembrey Street, Elgin Drive, the South Marston Industrial Estate, the Dorcan Industrial Estate and Newcombe Drive.

Follow BBC Wiltshire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.