DRIVERS who enter a Sainsbury’s car park in Basingstoke and stay for more than ten minutes after the store is shut will receive a £100 fine.

The news comes after Hampshire Police confirmed they are working to address anti-social car meets in the carpark of Sainsbury’s in Wallop Drive.

As previously reported an online petition started by resident Mark Burrows last year stated that the carpark has become an increasingly popular late-night meeting place for car enthusiasts.

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Following the complaints, a permanent ANPR camera has now been authorised for installation after the temporary when was reportedly damaged.

In addition, both Sainsbury’s and the security firm that oversees the site, Mitie, are exploring traffic calming measures that could be introduced to the site later this year.

PC Bex Mason, from the Basingstoke Neighbourhood Team, said: “Anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated in Basingstoke.

“I would like to thank our partners and Sainsbury’s and Mitie for introducing these measures that will hopefully act as a deterrent for drivers looking to cause a disturbance.

“We have a plan in place to deal with this type of disorder, and we will continue to work with our partners to combat this issue in the longer term.”

On Saturday, March 5, there was a large car meet that saw vehicles being used in an anti-social manner, which caused significant amounts of disruption to local residents.

Police attended and restricted access to the site that resulted in the vehicles dispersing.

Meanwhile, on Saturday March 12, a static car meet took place at Brighton Hill Retail Park.

This group remained stationary, with their engines off, allowing them to respectfully examine vehicles without causing distress to local residents.

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A spokesperson from Hampshire Police, added: “We want to be clear that car meets themselves are not an issue as long as they are conducted lawfully and with respect to businesses and residents.

“However, we will not tolerate anti-social use of vehicles. Not only is this disruptive to local residents, but it also puts other road users at risk.

“We will not allow such behaviour to go unchallenged and have a robust plan in place with resources allocated to it."

The Roads Policing Unit recently took action at one of the car meets, including finding the following:

  •  Two vehicle registrations failing to conform to requirements
  • One set of tyres with insufficient tread
  • One individual driving without insurance resulting in the seizure of their vehicle
  • One individual who was driving otherwise than in accordance with their licence
  • Two incidents of driving without due care and attention

Tom Payne, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s interim executive director for residents’ services, added: “While the majority of people attending car meets are law-abiding, a small number behave in an anti-social way causing distress and nuisance to local residents.

“We have worked closely with our police colleagues to address this problem and we welcome the action that Sainsbury’s and Mitie have taken by installing these measures to prevent further incidents taking place on their land."

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