Residents of a quiet Nottinghamshire town have said they hear "horrendous" noise from car meets at a nearby tram park and ride. Those living around Katherine drive, with its houses separated by just a field from Toton Lane Park and Ride have said the popping, screeching and revving engines is "driving them insane."
This comes after Nottinghamshire police seized a £130,000 Porsche, for taking to the roads without insurance, while patrolling a car meet at the tram stop on Sunday, April 30. But residents said that they have been hearing cars at the park and ride for over a year.
The "meets" are taking place around once a month and can be heard by some living in the area until the early hours of the morning. Sam Wheeldon, who has lived near the park and ride for around two years, said: "It's driving us insane. It's got us to the end of our tether.
"I don't have any issue with people wanting to meet up. But what I can not tolerate are the constant revving of the engines, the popping and the screeching."
Sam, 50, shared how she and her family had recently swapped the property around, to put the living space at the back of the home, allowing them to open up the doors into the back garden during the summer, but added that car meets with around 50 to 60 cars seem to be taking place around once a month.
The full-time mum added: "One time we could hear cars there at 1am. I don't think these people know how bad the noise is, but it's also the debris and rubbish they leave behind.
"I like nice cars, car noise does not bother me, the exhausts do not bother me, but the noise makes my dogs go nuts. I have a seven and a nine-year-old who cannot hear it, but it gets the dogs going, the screeching tyres must really bother them, so I have to turn the TV up and then that bothers the kids, so it has this knock-on effect - it's horrendous."
Other residents shared how the noises have disrupted the once quiet and idyllic street. Dr Melvyn Kinsey said: "There are noises in that area, it can be any time after 10pm, but it's not often, it's probably about once a month.
"It does bother my wife." Like Sam, the 81-year-old noted that this has been an ongoing issue, with the events of April 30 being just one of a number of instances.
"It's been going on for about a year or two," added the retired doctor. It's a peaceful area, it's an area that people in Toton and Long Eaton want to live."
Pete Whyard who also lives near the tram stop raised concerns about the safety of those driving the cars and pedestrians. The 54-year-old teacher said: "It's also an issue with the cars when they're going to and from these meets.
"A car is a dangerous weapon at the end of the day. If it's not them [endangered] it's another innocent person."
Some living close by have described the noise as anti-social behaviour, and have called for action to be taken to stop the meets. But some claimed to have not heard the cars at all.
Images show tyre marks and debris left at the tram stop park and ride from car meets. Neighbourhood Inspector Mike Ebbins said: “Sunday (Apirl 30) was a great result and shows our commitment to ensuring that this park and ride does not become a location of choice for these types of meets.
"We received information a large car meet was planned and we were in place to take action. We realise the noise and anti-social behaviour that large gatherings of vehicles can cause for the local community and will always act on any calls we receive.
“While we don’t receive a large volume of calls from local residents about this site, it is still one of our many priorities for the area of Toton and if it becomes an ongoing issue then we will put resources in place to address it.”
Sergeant Duane Dilks, who attended the incident on April 30, said: " The Porsche with a value of £130,000 was seized for no insurance whilst patrolling the Toton tram park. The driver was issued with a TOR (traffic offence report) and reported for no insurance, and their vehicle was seized."
Trevor Stocker, NET head of operations, added: “The seizure of this high-value car by the police should act as a deterrent to others thinking of misusing our park-and-ride facilities, which are exclusively for the use of tram customers. Although this action was taken in response to other motoring offences, it demonstrates how we are working closely with the police on regular operations to clamp down on any inconsiderate or anti-social behaviour across the network.
“While the entire tram network, including park and ride facilities, is covered by high-definition CCTV cameras that often help identify offenders, we would urge anyone who witnesses any suspicious activity to contact the police immediately.”
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