ENFORCEMENT action including potentially ripping up tenancy agreements is being looked at by South Yorkshire Police in order to make boy racers think twice about attending car meets likened to the ‘Fast and the Furious’ film franchise.
Weekly meet-ups on the Dearne Valley Parkway have caused outrage among law-abiding motorists, whose complaints to the police resulted in the issue being made a priority by the Barnsley South Neighbourhood Policing Team.
Residents say they have witnessed races taking place on the route - which connects junction 36 at Tankersley to Shafton - as well as boy racers performing handbrake turns.
One hotspot along the route is Shortwood roundabout, near Hoyland, which has seen large groups on onlookers gathering to watch, predominantly on Saturday nights.
Police have recently used stingers - which puncture a car’s tyres - due to the shocking driving witnessed and issued Section 59 notices to those deemed to be driving antisocially, which could lead to a seizure of the vehicle.
A spokesperson said: “We’ve had reports of car meets and racing around the Dearne Valley Parkway.
“Joint work between neighbourhood teams and the roads policing group will continue.
“We’re also identifying landlords for them to take action.
“This will not be tolerated and those responsible will be dealt with robustly with the full force of the law.
“Some have had their vehicle seized, some have been given fixed penalties for a variety of offences and many have been warned about their conduct and manner of driving under the Police Reform Act.
“A big thank you to the members of the public who keep calling in to give us the heads up where the group had moved to next as they allowed us to net them effectively.
“Excess speed and drifting displays have occurred, creating risks to other road users along with associated noise nuisance.
“The team continues to work with council wardens and the CCTV vehicle in conjunction with the roads policing group.”
The road is one of two main routes in Barnsley to remain high on the force’s radar alongside the Cudworth Parkway and the A6201, near Brierley.
“We know that these issues will not be solved alone with prosecutions so are looking to work with our partners to find long term solutions to the problems reported along this stretch of road,” a police spokesperson added.
“We encourage anyone experiencing problems in their area to report them to us, online, via live chat or by calling 101.”
