Car cruisers will be banned from Southend after the courts granted an injunction against them.If you’re wondering ‘How..?’, given that car cruises are usually no more than young folk in nice cars driving up and down, well, take heart. You aren’t alone.
The injunction obtained from the High Court forbids any car-cruise events from happening anywhere in the Borough until September 2016. However, the authority admits it is still working with Essex Police to draw up plans on how to enforce the injunction.Well, quite! If everyone who owns a particular car or type of car WhatsApps their chums & says ‘Fancy a drive to the seaside and back?’ is that illegal?
If Mr & Mrs Average are out for a pootle down to Thorpe Bay in their vintage Jag, do they risk Essex Police zooming up behind them, lights flashing, because that’s the fifth vintage Jag in a row that’s passed their waiting patrol car?
It followed the furore after a ‘static’ car meet up earlier this month, that saw hundreds of vehicle enthusiasts descend on Western Esplande. However, a small number of them were doing ‘burnouts’ and driving recklesssly during the event.Then why not arrest that ‘small number’ for the offences they committed, and leave everyone else alone?
Independent Martin Terry, who is responsible for transport at the authority, said: “I’m very pleased that we have successfully obtained this order, which will enable us to take tough action against any groups who comes to our town with the intention of driving recklessly.”
“Anyone who organises such an event now does so at their own peril and we will not be shy in bringing the full force of the law to bear.”
“At the same time I’m kindly asking the public to be vigilant and report any incidents to the police if you see them occurring.”God, if anyone thought that electing independents would get you a different type of politician than the overbearing, NuPuritan prodnoses of the main parties, then Martin Terry is here to prove you wrong, isn’t he?
As an old time frequenter of car cruises, I can tell you that's not how they work. The cars don't cruise around, they park up somewhere. The term 'cruise' is a bit misleading for what it actually is; a bunch of car enthusiasts getting together and admiring each others mods.
ReplyDeleteWe used to go to the MFI car park in Blackburn. It's on a large retail park and we went in the evening when everything was closed. The police would still come in force and move us on if they got wind of it. They're well known for being heavy handed at these types of event.
I don't know if the scene has changed these days. If people are doing this on Tesco car park at 12 noon, but I wouldn't have thought so.
How can they tell if you're driving their "with the intent" to drive recklessly?
ReplyDeleteTelepathy? Or is it just if you're youngish, driving a smartish car, and not a member of a protected social group?
Southend is already a run down, dilapidated shithole of a town. As if people need one less reason to bother going there...
ReplyDeleteThe sinister bit you quoted was the call for informants. Pity Wayne, who ditched his bitch, if he drives a smart motor. This is just another power to be filed away for later use, when things get really crazy here.
ReplyDelete5759
So if they can ban a specific type of vehicle/type of person from an area, why can't they ban transit vans towing caravans (and their inhabitants) then?
ReplyDeleteJim, what a jolly good idea! The big question is how would the race card play against it?
ReplyDelete@Jim: the clue is in my comment above. The drivers and passengers of those transit vans are in a protected caste.
ReplyDelete"I don't know if the scene has changed these days."
ReplyDeleteWell, it seems it hasn't! Note the huge manpower expenditure for .... a few minor offences.
Note also the council wanker claiming 'Victory!' regardless...
"Or is it just if you're youngish, driving a smartish car, and not a member of a protected social group?"
Yup! How I wish they'd try the same stunt with the annual traveller 'let's race our poor abused horses up the A127' event. But they won't.
"The sinister bit you quoted was the call for informants."
And the sad thing is, they'll get plenty.