New statistics have revealed police are called out to 200 incidents of anti-social driving in Norwich each year, with the figure on the rise.
It comes as the city council takes on boy racers in a battle which has seen councillors plot a widespread ban and drivers thunder through the Fine City in a show of defiance.
The nuisance drivers have caused chaos across the city with hotspots including Britannia Road on Mousehold Heath, Sprowston Retail Park and the St Saviour's Lane car park just off Magdalen Street, with concerned city folk calling for urgent action.
Britannia Road Car Park on Mousehold Heath which has been attracting boy racers (Image: Newsquest)
With City Hall officials set to approve a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for the entire city on July 12, giving police extraordinary powers, new figures revealed cops were called to almost 250 incidents involving boy racers last year.
Anti-social driving is rising rapidly year on year in Norwich with the number of callouts increasing by almost 100 since 2019, when 161 emergency calls were made about nuisance drivers.
A boy racer in Britannia Road (Image: Andy Sharp)
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In 2022, there were 244 callouts relating to excessive speeding, dangerous driving, loud noise, littering, damage and obstruction of the highway.
Under the new PSPO, drivers committing these offences would first be given a written warning before being handed a £100 fine for each repeated offence.
Norwich superintendent Wesley Hornigold said the incident was having a large negative effect on the lives of those living close to meeting spots and welcomed the joint move in partnership with the city council.
Wesley Hornigold of Norwich police (Image: Newsquest)
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He said: “We will not tolerate vehicle-related anti-social behaviour in the city.
"We know this can have a profound and prolonged impact on residents’ lives – and indeed communities have voted it as one of policing’s priorities in the city.
"We’ve been working closely with Norwich City Council and residents to address the issue.”
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