Daily delights of Formula Yob race (From Gazette Series)

Daily delights of Formula Yob race

SIR - Once again the summer evenings are here and residents are able to "enjoy" the spectacle of the Dursley Grand Prix.

Most often the competitors will assemble by the KwikSave car park, off Kingshill Road, in a wide range of sporty-looking cars with wide tyres, and even wider exhaust pipes, where they ready themselves for the evening ahead.

The event usually consists of playing the ICE (that's in-car-entertainment, or radio/CD for those who aren't in the know) at a volume so great that it would drown out the noise of Concorde on its take-off run, if she was still flying, regardless of whether it's seven in the evening or two in the morning.

This is then accompanied by a cacophony of car horns as they "salute" fellow racers as they scream past at speeds well in excess of 50mph. Apparently the 30mph speed limit and "no sounding of horns after 11pm" do not seem to apply to these people.

As the night progresses it becomes clear why the music is played so loudly. It is the only way they can hear it over the noise those nice wide tyres make as they wheel spin away from the car park in scenes reminiscent of the 1998 formula one race in Monaco.

Joke over! The speeds are ludicrously dangerous, especially considering the buildings and junctions in the area, and it IS only a matter of time before someone is killed. Complaints have been made to the police, on more than one occasion, but the problem persists.

Well, there are several options, everyone who is sick and tired of it can phone the police on 08450 901234 and report these inconsiderate lunatics every time it happens, as the police will eventually have to do something about it.

You can go out and confront them, although the numbers involved are often intimidating. Or you can take the law into your own hands if you fancy getting arrested yourself for trying to rectify a problem the police should have dealt with a long time ago, which is not something I would recommend!

As for me, let's just say my video camera is being made ready and, if the police are unable to use the images recorded, perhaps the local authority could use their powers to enforce anti-social behaviour orders.

If all else fails, perhaps local media may be interested in any footage I take in order that these people can be shown for the idiots they are.

By the way, did the owners of vehicles, the numbers of which I have, realise that they can be confiscated if they do not comply with certain noise/nuisance orders made against them. This was 1.30am on Sunday, June 6.

Finally, for the record, I am not a person who over-reacts to someone doing 33mph in a 30mph zone, or a Green campaigning against cars. I am in my 30s, have been driving for over 15 years and just want Kingshill Road to be a safer, quieter place.

If these people really want to time-trial or race against each other, then they can always pay for a track day at a local circuit.

Name and address withheld, Dursley