A SPIKE in rowdy car meets and drift racing around the borough has prompted an update from the people behind a local speedwatch campaign.

Police in Bracknell swung into action this week after illegal drift racing was reported in Jennett’s Park, and a protest will be staged in nearby Wokingham this Saturday as neighbours make a stand against car meets at the Carnival Pool Car Park.

As antisocial behaviour surrounding careless drivers persists, work continues to get a local speedwatch campaign up and running. Plans are in motion and volunteers are eager to hit the streets and catch speeders.

Although the campaign was launched last November, volunteers have not been able to get out to catch speeding drivers yet as the group says training and organisation still needs to be arranged.

 

It comes as a Bracknell councillor is leading the charge on the issue, as she says drivers use roads in her area as a ‘rat run’.

In some cases, she said illegal racers and inconsiderate drivers go the wrong way through Ringmead.

Councillor Gill Birch the Conservative representative for Hanworth ward, said:  “The racing happens late at night, and when drivers are in a hurry.

“It’s crazy some of the antics they get up to… You think ‘what are you on about? Why are you doing that?’

“I still think my ward is a rat run, before we have done speedwatch pre-covid, and have caught a lot of people in Ringmead.”

Recently, Thames Valley Police served drivers who were drift racing in Jennett’s Park with Section 59 Police Reform Act warnings, which last for 12 months.

Once a driver and car are given a Section 59 warning, the car can be seized if it is driven in an anti-social and illegal manner during that period.

Cllr Birch was at the launch of the speedwatch campaign in Bracknell last November, which was attended by police and crime commissioner and James Sunderland, the Conservative MP for Bracknell.

Giving an update on the campaign’s progress, Cllr Birch said: “It’s in the initial stages.

“I’ve got to say I think people are still worried about covid… It’s a really difficult time for people, but locally we are very keen, we are going to do this, the police are working with us and we are getting there.

“Everybody is doing what they can at the moment. We need things to be more proactive and get ourselves out there again I think.

“We’ve got the gear, and we’re doing our last bit lot of road training to make sure it will all be done safely and legally.

“As soon as that’s done we will be out on a regular basis, by the end of February I want us to be going out regularly.”

Community speedwatch involves volunteers using speed monitoring and number plating equipment to catch speeding drivers.

Once speeding is recorded, the information is shared with Thames Valley Police for prosecution.

Cllr Birch said that the gear that the speedwatch teams will be using have been provided by Bracknell Town Council.

Information about how to get involved can be found on the Community Speedwatch website: https://communityspeedwatch.org/FRONT-v2-Home.php