Police documents have revealed how boy racers are putting members of the public at risk in Blackpool with “hundreds of cars” reported to be “racing up and down Yeadon Way”.
The incidents are catalogued in evidence set to go before a Blackpool Council licensing hearing on March 31, which refers to a number of car meet-ups on council owned car parks near the Esso service station.
A submission to the hearing from PC Emma Pritchard, of Blackpool Police licensing department, adds in September last year a member of the public reported “70 cars with 20 to 30 young lads stood around”.
The evidence is part of an objection by Blackpool Police to an application to the council’s licensing department on behalf of Rontec Watford Ltd for a variation of the premises licence for South Shore Service Station, Yeadon Way, which is an Esso petrol station.
Currently the petrol station shop must be closed to the public between midnight and 6am with all sales being made through the night serving hatch.
The applicant is seeking council permission to change the condition so the shop only has to be closed between midnight and 6am if there is only one member of staff on duty.
But the police say there is already a lot of late night crime in the area and they fear staff would not be safe even if there were two people working on the premises.
The police evidence says incidents reported recently in the area include claims of someone having a knife and reports of glass bottles being thrown from the bridge on Yeadon Way onto cars below.
PC Pritchard adds in her written evidence: “This is also an area with a lot of car meet ups, causing anti-social behaviour.”
On October 13 last year, “a member of the public reports hundreds of cars on the car park nearby racing up and down Yeadon Way”, while on September 14 “a member of the public reports 70 cars with 20 to 30 young lads stood around near the Esso Garage”.
On January 10 this year, the police received “a report of a car meet up next to Esso, cars doing donuts when children are walking nearby as just finished school.”
A panel made up of councillors will hear all the evidence before making their decision on the application.
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